Monday, November 6
Houston, TX
7 p.m.
Rice University
1-0,0-0AAC
70
vs
38
Houston Christian
0-1,0-0Southland
1
2
3
4
F
Houston Christian
1
4
12
21
38
Rice
17
11
21
21
70
Strong Defense Powers Rice to Season-Opening Win over HCU
11/6/2023 10:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON – The Rice women's basketball team allowed only two made field goals in the first half of the game en route to a 70-38 victory over Houston Christian Monday night at Tudor Fieldhouse in the 2023-24 season debut.
Dominique Ennis led the Owls with 14 points with a 4-of-6 three-point shooting display. Malia Fisher added nine points, ten rebounds, three blocks, three steals and an assist. Fatou Samb added seven points, while Shelby Hayes finished with seven points and four rebounds. 12 Owls recorded points in the game.
As a team, Rice shot 19-of-59 (32%) from the floor and 6-of-21 (29%) from three-point range. The Owls also went 26-of-36 (72%) from the free throw line. Rice out-rebounded HCU 57-32 while out-scoring the Huskies 40-15 in bench points.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"1-0, and winning is hard. The expectations are set really high for this team, and we are striving for perfection. I feel like we showed in spurts who we are, but I don't feel like we played a 40-minute game of Rice women's basketball. I think there are definitely some areas we can clean up and improve in, but again, 1-0 to start the season, so I'm proud of them for that."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Destiny Jackson recorded the first points of the season for Rice off a three-pointer, with Hayes' jumper putting Rice up 5-0 to open the game. Following an HCU free throw, Rice embarked on a 12-0 run kickstarted by a Jackson free throw, featuring baskets from Fisher, Emily Klaczek, an Ennis triple and capped off by Samb's free throw to put Rice ahead 17-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
HCU opened the second quarter with a layup for their first field goal of the game. Ennis responded with a three-pointer, with Maya Bokunewicz and Hayes extending the lead to 24-3 with just over four minutes left in the half. Samb capped off the 11-0 run with back-to-back layups. The Huskies added another basket to close the half as the Owls led 28-5 at the break.
Third Quarter
Trinity Gooden's free throws opened the third quarter scoring, with a steal and layup from Jackson giving Rice a 32-5 advantage. After a Fisher jumper and a pair of free throws from Jazzy Owens-Barnett put Rice up 37-5, HCU hit its first three of the game to stop the run. After trading baskets the rest of the way, Sussy Ngulefac's jumper gave Rice a 49-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
After both sides traded scores, Ennis drilled her third and fourth threes of the game to put Rice up 62-26. Freshman Layla Conley followed shortly after with her first career points off a pair of free throws. Freshman Pace Rickard netted her first career point with a free throw in the closing minute as the Owls led 67-37. Conley rounded out the scoring for Rice with an old-fashioned three-point play as the Owls won 70-38.
PLAYER NOTES
UP NEXT
The Owls will be on the road for their first road trip of the season, starting at Abilene Christian on Thursday night.
Dominique Ennis led the Owls with 14 points with a 4-of-6 three-point shooting display. Malia Fisher added nine points, ten rebounds, three blocks, three steals and an assist. Fatou Samb added seven points, while Shelby Hayes finished with seven points and four rebounds. 12 Owls recorded points in the game.
As a team, Rice shot 19-of-59 (32%) from the floor and 6-of-21 (29%) from three-point range. The Owls also went 26-of-36 (72%) from the free throw line. Rice out-rebounded HCU 57-32 while out-scoring the Huskies 40-15 in bench points.
"1-0, and winning is hard. The expectations are set really high for this team, and we are striving for perfection. I feel like we showed in spurts who we are, but I don't feel like we played a 40-minute game of Rice women's basketball. I think there are definitely some areas we can clean up and improve in, but again, 1-0 to start the season, so I'm proud of them for that."
First Quarter
Destiny Jackson recorded the first points of the season for Rice off a three-pointer, with Hayes' jumper putting Rice up 5-0 to open the game. Following an HCU free throw, Rice embarked on a 12-0 run kickstarted by a Jackson free throw, featuring baskets from Fisher, Emily Klaczek, an Ennis triple and capped off by Samb's free throw to put Rice ahead 17-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
HCU opened the second quarter with a layup for their first field goal of the game. Ennis responded with a three-pointer, with Maya Bokunewicz and Hayes extending the lead to 24-3 with just over four minutes left in the half. Samb capped off the 11-0 run with back-to-back layups. The Huskies added another basket to close the half as the Owls led 28-5 at the break.
Third Quarter
Trinity Gooden's free throws opened the third quarter scoring, with a steal and layup from Jackson giving Rice a 32-5 advantage. After a Fisher jumper and a pair of free throws from Jazzy Owens-Barnett put Rice up 37-5, HCU hit its first three of the game to stop the run. After trading baskets the rest of the way, Sussy Ngulefac's jumper gave Rice a 49-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
After both sides traded scores, Ennis drilled her third and fourth threes of the game to put Rice up 62-26. Freshman Layla Conley followed shortly after with her first career points off a pair of free throws. Freshman Pace Rickard netted her first career point with a free throw in the closing minute as the Owls led 67-37. Conley rounded out the scoring for Rice with an old-fashioned three-point play as the Owls won 70-38.
- Jackson recorded her 300th career assist off a Samb layup in the second quarter.
- Hailey Adams recorded a career-high eight rebounds and two steals.
- HCU's five points in the first half are the fewest points allowed by Rice in a half in program history.
- Rice has now won 12 consecutive non-conference games, with the last loss coming on 12/4/21 at UT Arlington.
- The Owls are now 6-0 all-time against Houston Christian.
- Rice is now 36-10 all-time in season openers and 42-4 all-time in home openers.
The Owls will be on the road for their first road trip of the season, starting at Abilene Christian on Thursday night.
Team Stats
HCU
Rice
FG%
.232
.322
3FG%
.100
.286
FT%
.625
.722
RB
32
57
TO
25
23
STL
8
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC
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