Thursday, March 10
Frisco, Texas
11:00 A.M. CT
Rice University
53
vs
59
Charlotte
Photo by: CUSA
Owls Push No. 1 Seed Charlotte to the Brink, Fall 59-53
3/10/2022 3:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Await to see if selected for postseason play
FRISCO, Texas – The Rice Owls women's basketball team gave the No. 1 overall seed Charlotte 49ers all they could handle and then some but ultimately fell just short in a 59-53 loss Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Championship.
Rice (14-13) managed to fight back from an eight-point deficit late in the third quarter to take a 48-47 lead with 6:24 left in the game but the 49ers (20-9) prevailed by outscoring the Owls 12-5 the rest of the way.
The 49ers held a big edge at the free throw line, converting 21-of-25 attempts while the Owls shot 8-of-11 at the charity stripe. Charlotte held a 24-16 advantage in points in a tightly contested game in which Rice held the lead for 17 minutes, while the 49ers led for just over 20 minutes.
The Owls placed three players in double-figure scoring, led by 14 points from sophomore point guard Destiny Jackson. The C-USA All-Conference Honorable Mention out of Mansfield, Texas also grabbed six rebounds, distributed four assists and tied a Rice individual record for most steals (4) in a C-USA Championship contest. Sophomore forward Ashlee Austin (13 points) and freshman forward Malia Fisher (12 points) also notched double-figure scoring efforts for the Owls.
Charlotte was led by Mikayla Boykin, who led all players with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 at the free throw line. C-USA Player of the Year Octavia Jett-Wilson added 16 points, making all nine of her free throw attempts.
The Owls still maintain aspirations to play in the postseason and will learn their fate in the coming days.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"I'm really proud of this group; just their fight, their toughness, their effort. Obviously this game didn't go the way we wanted it to go but we competed. There were a couple times we could have let it get out of hand and get away from us but we found ways to fight and claw at it and get back in it and make it a ballgame. Charlotte's a great basketball team and we just unfortunately came up a little bit short today. I told the team afterwards I don't want the season to be over with yet and that their mindset should still be locked in on basketball. They deserve to be able to continue to play the way we finished the season."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Owls could not have drawn up a better start as they outscored the 49ers 17-9 in the opening 10 minutes, led by an 8-point performance from Fisher. The freshman made 3-of-5 shots from the field, including a three-pointer, while Jackson chipped in five points. Rice shot 47 percent from the floor as a team while holding the 49ers to just 23 percent. After Charlotte jumped out to a 6-2 lead the Owls closed the quarter on a 15-3 run over the final six minutes.
Second Quarter
Charlotte managed to outscore the Owls 14-9 to pull to within 26-23 entering the half. Rice made just four field goal in the period and went 1-of-5 from deep. The 49ers scored all 14 of their points in the paint, led by six points from Boykin.
Third Quarter
The 49ers opened up a lead as large as 43-35 with 1:58 remaining before the Owls cut the deficit in half thanks to a second-chance three-pointer from Austin and a driving layup by Jackson to make the score 44-40 going to the fourth. Charlotte outscored Rice 21-14 in the quarter behind 12 points from Jett-Wilson.
Fourth Quarter
Maya Bokunewicz gave the Owls the lead back with a clutch three-pointer at 6:24 mark to go up 48-47, however, that would be the last time Rice would lead in the contest. An Austin jumper with her toe on the line evened the score at 51-51 with 4:16 remaining but Rice was held to just two points the rest of the quarter. The 49ers went 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final four minutes with a Jada McMillian jumper added to the mix to secure the victory.
Rice (14-13) managed to fight back from an eight-point deficit late in the third quarter to take a 48-47 lead with 6:24 left in the game but the 49ers (20-9) prevailed by outscoring the Owls 12-5 the rest of the way.
The 49ers held a big edge at the free throw line, converting 21-of-25 attempts while the Owls shot 8-of-11 at the charity stripe. Charlotte held a 24-16 advantage in points in a tightly contested game in which Rice held the lead for 17 minutes, while the 49ers led for just over 20 minutes.
The Owls placed three players in double-figure scoring, led by 14 points from sophomore point guard Destiny Jackson. The C-USA All-Conference Honorable Mention out of Mansfield, Texas also grabbed six rebounds, distributed four assists and tied a Rice individual record for most steals (4) in a C-USA Championship contest. Sophomore forward Ashlee Austin (13 points) and freshman forward Malia Fisher (12 points) also notched double-figure scoring efforts for the Owls.
Charlotte was led by Mikayla Boykin, who led all players with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 at the free throw line. C-USA Player of the Year Octavia Jett-Wilson added 16 points, making all nine of her free throw attempts.
The Owls still maintain aspirations to play in the postseason and will learn their fate in the coming days.
"I'm really proud of this group; just their fight, their toughness, their effort. Obviously this game didn't go the way we wanted it to go but we competed. There were a couple times we could have let it get out of hand and get away from us but we found ways to fight and claw at it and get back in it and make it a ballgame. Charlotte's a great basketball team and we just unfortunately came up a little bit short today. I told the team afterwards I don't want the season to be over with yet and that their mindset should still be locked in on basketball. They deserve to be able to continue to play the way we finished the season."
First Quarter
The Owls could not have drawn up a better start as they outscored the 49ers 17-9 in the opening 10 minutes, led by an 8-point performance from Fisher. The freshman made 3-of-5 shots from the field, including a three-pointer, while Jackson chipped in five points. Rice shot 47 percent from the floor as a team while holding the 49ers to just 23 percent. After Charlotte jumped out to a 6-2 lead the Owls closed the quarter on a 15-3 run over the final six minutes.
Second Quarter
Charlotte managed to outscore the Owls 14-9 to pull to within 26-23 entering the half. Rice made just four field goal in the period and went 1-of-5 from deep. The 49ers scored all 14 of their points in the paint, led by six points from Boykin.
Third Quarter
The 49ers opened up a lead as large as 43-35 with 1:58 remaining before the Owls cut the deficit in half thanks to a second-chance three-pointer from Austin and a driving layup by Jackson to make the score 44-40 going to the fourth. Charlotte outscored Rice 21-14 in the quarter behind 12 points from Jett-Wilson.
Fourth Quarter
Maya Bokunewicz gave the Owls the lead back with a clutch three-pointer at 6:24 mark to go up 48-47, however, that would be the last time Rice would lead in the contest. An Austin jumper with her toe on the line evened the score at 51-51 with 4:16 remaining but Rice was held to just two points the rest of the quarter. The 49ers went 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final four minutes with a Jada McMillian jumper added to the mix to secure the victory.
-RiceOwls.com-
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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Wednesday, March 09