Monday, February 21
Birmingham, AL
5:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-1011,58 CUSA
60
at
55
UAB
-1312,68 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Rice
15
12
18
15
60
UAB
13
14
18
10
55
Photo by: Juan DeLeon
Owls Sweep Season-Series from UAB
2/21/2022 8:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Rice earns third consecutive victory
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Rice Owls women's basketball team secured their third win in the last five days (third straight overall) with a 60-55 road victory Monday evening at UAB, kick-starting a seven-day road trip on the right note.
Rice (10-11, 5-8) used a stifling defense in the final quarter along with a balanced scoring attack to sweep the season-series from the Blazers (13-12, 6-8). The Owls held UAB to just 10 fourth quarter points and 34 percent shooting for the game to notch their second C-USA road victory of the season.
Sophomore forward Ashlee Austin led the Owls with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, contributing 12 of those points in the all-important second half. It marked the sixth-straight double-digit scoring performance for Austin and her eighth in her last nine outings.
Sophomore point guard Destiny Jackson also reached double-figures with 12 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 36 minutes. Malia Fisher, the reigning C-USA Freshman of the Week, flirted with a double-double by registering nine points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. Freshman guard Trinity Gooden totaled a personal C-USA high nine points to go along with five rebounds in her fourth consecutive start.
The Owls short 40 percent from the field for the game and had another superb performance at the free throw line, making 11-of-14 overall and 9-of-11 in the second half.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"I know I say it all the time but I am just really so proud of this team. To come on the road on a quick turnaround after two hard-fought wins at home and pick up another one just says so much about this team, their toughness, and their fight. Our mentality of winning the day has really stuck with them and now it's on to the next."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Despite falling behind 7-0 in the first three minutes, the Owls still managed to win the quarter by a 15-13 margin thanks to a 13-0 run that was capped by a Gooden three-pointer at the 3:30 mark. The Owls stuck with their starting five the entire quarter and shot 7-of-12 from the field, scoring eight points in the paint.
Second Quarter
UAB outscored the Owls 14-12 to pull even at 27-27 at halftime. Five different Owls registered points in the quarter but Rice shot just 5-of-17 (29%) from the field. Zakyia Weathersby scored six of her game-high 19 points in the quarter along with six rebounds.
Third Quarter
The two teams remained deadlocked (45-45) going to the fourth quarter after tying 18-18 in the third period. Austin contributed seven points in the quarter on 2-of-4 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, and a pair of free throws. India Bellamy also gave the Owls a spark with four points, two rebounds, and a pair of blocks in the period.
Fourth Quarter
Rice opened the quarter on a 9-2 run to take control of the game and never looked back on their way to a 60-55 victory. The Owls' defense locked up the Blazers, limiting them to just the 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. UAB managed to trim the Rice lead down to 55-53 with 1:07 remaining but Maya Bokunewicz delivered the biggest shot of the night on a stepback jumper with 49 seconds remaining to make it a two possession game.
UP NEXT
The Owls continue their week-long road trip and will be in search of their fourth consecutive win on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. from the Thomas Assembly Center. That game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Rice (10-11, 5-8) used a stifling defense in the final quarter along with a balanced scoring attack to sweep the season-series from the Blazers (13-12, 6-8). The Owls held UAB to just 10 fourth quarter points and 34 percent shooting for the game to notch their second C-USA road victory of the season.
Sophomore forward Ashlee Austin led the Owls with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, contributing 12 of those points in the all-important second half. It marked the sixth-straight double-digit scoring performance for Austin and her eighth in her last nine outings.
Sophomore point guard Destiny Jackson also reached double-figures with 12 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 36 minutes. Malia Fisher, the reigning C-USA Freshman of the Week, flirted with a double-double by registering nine points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. Freshman guard Trinity Gooden totaled a personal C-USA high nine points to go along with five rebounds in her fourth consecutive start.
The Owls short 40 percent from the field for the game and had another superb performance at the free throw line, making 11-of-14 overall and 9-of-11 in the second half.
"I know I say it all the time but I am just really so proud of this team. To come on the road on a quick turnaround after two hard-fought wins at home and pick up another one just says so much about this team, their toughness, and their fight. Our mentality of winning the day has really stuck with them and now it's on to the next."
First Quarter
Despite falling behind 7-0 in the first three minutes, the Owls still managed to win the quarter by a 15-13 margin thanks to a 13-0 run that was capped by a Gooden three-pointer at the 3:30 mark. The Owls stuck with their starting five the entire quarter and shot 7-of-12 from the field, scoring eight points in the paint.
Second Quarter
UAB outscored the Owls 14-12 to pull even at 27-27 at halftime. Five different Owls registered points in the quarter but Rice shot just 5-of-17 (29%) from the field. Zakyia Weathersby scored six of her game-high 19 points in the quarter along with six rebounds.
Third Quarter
The two teams remained deadlocked (45-45) going to the fourth quarter after tying 18-18 in the third period. Austin contributed seven points in the quarter on 2-of-4 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, and a pair of free throws. India Bellamy also gave the Owls a spark with four points, two rebounds, and a pair of blocks in the period.
Fourth Quarter
Rice opened the quarter on a 9-2 run to take control of the game and never looked back on their way to a 60-55 victory. The Owls' defense locked up the Blazers, limiting them to just the 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. UAB managed to trim the Rice lead down to 55-53 with 1:07 remaining but Maya Bokunewicz delivered the biggest shot of the night on a stepback jumper with 49 seconds remaining to make it a two possession game.
The Owls continue their week-long road trip and will be in search of their fourth consecutive win on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. from the Thomas Assembly Center. That game will be streamed on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
UAB
FG%
.397
.339
3FG%
.200
.235
FT%
.786
.688
RB
40
40
TO
12
11
STL
10
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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