Tuesday, December 20
Houston, TX
12:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-91,01 CUSA
68
vs
74
Middle Tennessee
-82,10 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Middle Tenn.
14
8
25
27
74
Rice
17
10
18
23
68
Photo by: ©Juan DeLeon Creative
Owls Drop C-USA Opener Against Middle Tennessee
12/20/2022 3:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Houston, TX – The Rice women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season 74-68 in the C-USA opener against preseason favorite Middle Tennessee on Tuesday at Tudor Fieldhouse. Tied at 65-65 with under a minute remaining in the game, the Blue Raiders hit a three pointer with 41 seconds left, followed by multiple free throws to hold off the Owls.
Malia Fisher led Rice with 18 points while adding six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Destiny Jackson finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while Ashlee Austin dropped 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Dominique Ennis finished with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three-point range.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"Obviously that was not the outcome we were hoping for. You get to celebrate a bunch of games this year and that has been fun and we wanted this one because it was our next opportunity to take care of home and get another win, and unfortunately, we didn't do that. I thought there were a lot of things we did in the second half in particular that was uncharacteristic of who we are and who we want to be and that led to points... This one hurts. I do like the fight that we showed in the fourth to push it back to a single-digit game. I'm going to remember this feeling and I hope the players remember this feeling. We are going to enjoy a couple of days off for Christmas and get back to work so we don't feel this feeling too often."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Following a Blue Raider basket, Fisher got Rice rolling with a three-pointer. After trading baskets, a quick run for Middle Tennessee gave the lead back at 12-7 with just under five minutes left in the quarter. Austin brought the deficit to two with a three followed by a Jackson layup to tie the game at 12-12. After layups by sides, India Bellamy drained a three with five seconds left to put Rice up 17-14 at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
Holding a 19-18 lead with five minutes left, Ennis drained back-to-back threes to put Rice up 25-18. After two free throws by Middle Tennessee, Ennis struck again for two to push the lead back to seven. The Owls led at halftime 27-22.
Third Quarter
Jackson kept the offense going to open the third with a layup plus the free throw to give Rice a 30-22 lead with nine minutes left. The Blue Raiders started to chip away at the deficit, erasing the margin at 41-41 with 2:57 left in the third. Ennis gave the lead back to Rice with another three, but Middle Tennessee ended on a 6-1 run to go up 47-45.
Fourth Quarter
Fisher opened the fourth with a three to put Rice up 48-47, but a quick basket gave the Blue Raiders back the lead. Austin responded with another Rice three, with Jackson following with a layup to go up 53-49 with under eight minutes left. An 11-0 run gave Middle Tennessee a 60-53 lead with 4:24 left. Rice responded with an 11-3 run, with most of the points being free throws, to tie the game with 1:35 left. A three by the Blue Raiders put them up 68-65 with 41 seconds left. After a pair of Fisher free throws brought the Owls within one, a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line for Middle Tennessee was enough to seal the win at 74-68 and hand the Owls their first loss of the season.
UP NEXT
Rice will be off for the holiday break before returning to Tudor Fieldhouse on Dec. 29 when the Owls welcome Western Kentucky. That game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m.
Malia Fisher led Rice with 18 points while adding six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Destiny Jackson finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while Ashlee Austin dropped 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Dominique Ennis finished with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three-point range.
"Obviously that was not the outcome we were hoping for. You get to celebrate a bunch of games this year and that has been fun and we wanted this one because it was our next opportunity to take care of home and get another win, and unfortunately, we didn't do that. I thought there were a lot of things we did in the second half in particular that was uncharacteristic of who we are and who we want to be and that led to points... This one hurts. I do like the fight that we showed in the fourth to push it back to a single-digit game. I'm going to remember this feeling and I hope the players remember this feeling. We are going to enjoy a couple of days off for Christmas and get back to work so we don't feel this feeling too often."
First Quarter
Following a Blue Raider basket, Fisher got Rice rolling with a three-pointer. After trading baskets, a quick run for Middle Tennessee gave the lead back at 12-7 with just under five minutes left in the quarter. Austin brought the deficit to two with a three followed by a Jackson layup to tie the game at 12-12. After layups by sides, India Bellamy drained a three with five seconds left to put Rice up 17-14 at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
Holding a 19-18 lead with five minutes left, Ennis drained back-to-back threes to put Rice up 25-18. After two free throws by Middle Tennessee, Ennis struck again for two to push the lead back to seven. The Owls led at halftime 27-22.
Third Quarter
Jackson kept the offense going to open the third with a layup plus the free throw to give Rice a 30-22 lead with nine minutes left. The Blue Raiders started to chip away at the deficit, erasing the margin at 41-41 with 2:57 left in the third. Ennis gave the lead back to Rice with another three, but Middle Tennessee ended on a 6-1 run to go up 47-45.
Fourth Quarter
Fisher opened the fourth with a three to put Rice up 48-47, but a quick basket gave the Blue Raiders back the lead. Austin responded with another Rice three, with Jackson following with a layup to go up 53-49 with under eight minutes left. An 11-0 run gave Middle Tennessee a 60-53 lead with 4:24 left. Rice responded with an 11-3 run, with most of the points being free throws, to tie the game with 1:35 left. A three by the Blue Raiders put them up 68-65 with 41 seconds left. After a pair of Fisher free throws brought the Owls within one, a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line for Middle Tennessee was enough to seal the win at 74-68 and hand the Owls their first loss of the season.
Rice will be off for the holiday break before returning to Tudor Fieldhouse on Dec. 29 when the Owls welcome Western Kentucky. That game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m.
Team Stats
MTSU
Rice
FG%
.462
.393
3FG%
.318
.391
FT%
.950
.882
RB
34
30
TO
12
11
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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