Thursday, November 9
Abilene, TX
7 p.m.
Rice University
69
at
58
Abilene Christian
Owls Lead Wire-to-Wire in Win at ACU
11/9/2023 10:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ABILENE – The Rice women's basketball team led wire-to-wire en route to a 69-58 victory on the road over Abilene Christian Thursday night at Moody Coliseum. The Owls move to 2-0 to open the season while ACU falls to 1-1.
Malia Fisher and Dominique Ennis led the way for Rice, both dropping 13 points, Fisher scoring hers on 6-of-7 shooting while adding six rebounds, a block and a steal, while Ennis added two rebounds and an assist. Jazzy Owens-Barnett finished with 12 points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist.
As a team, Rice shot 25-of-54 (46%) from the floor and 8-of-27 (30%) from three-point range. The Owls added an 11-of-16 (69%) display from the free throw line. Rice scored 22 points on 13 ACU turnovers.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"Winning on the road is hard. Coming on the road, and coming into someone else's arena and getting a road win is really, really tough. I thought our players came in here and showed toughness and showed togetherness. There was a lot of people here pulling against us, but all it took was the 15 that we have and my staff to believe in one another and come out here and play hard, play tough and play together for 40 minutes. We got a great road win here because of it."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Fisher's layup opened the scoring, with Trinity Gooden following behind with a second-chance score to give the Owls and early 4-0 lead. After an ACU three-pointer, Emily Klaczek kickstarted an 7-0 run, with Jackson, Hayes and Gooden all contributing, to give Rice an 11-3 lead. Following back-to-back Wildcat scores, Maya Bokunewicz drilled a three with Ennis and Fatou Samb following with baskets to give Rice a 10-point lead. Owens-Barnett's jumper put Rice up 20-10, but a last-second three-point for ACU cut the Rice lead to 20-13 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
Bokunewicz opened the quarter with another three, with Owens-Barnett following with a layup, giving Rice a 25-13 lead to open the quarter. A quick run cut the lead to eight, but Fisher's layup pushed the lead back to double digits. After an 8-0 run for the Wildcats cut the lead down to two, Jackson's and-one conversion pushed the lead back to five at 30-25. Rice went into the half leading 30-27.
Third Quarter
Rice's offense came to life in the third quarter, with Fisher scoring back-to-back layups before Hayes' jumper opened a 6-0 scoring run. After an ACU score, Klaczek and Fisher started another run, with Fisher capping the run off with a three-pointer to give Rice a 43-29 lead. After Ennis' three put Rice up by 15, a quick ACU run cut the lead down to nine. Hailey Adams snapped the run with a jumper as the Owls took a 49-39 lead at the end of the third.
Fourth Quarter
ACU opened the fourth with a free throw before Bokunewicz drained a three to put Rice up by 12. After a 7-0 run by the Wildcats brought them within five, Jackson and Ennis combined for scores to put Rice up 56-47. ACU followed with a pair of free throws but Ennis was there to respond with a three-pointer. The Wildcats pulled within single digits once again, but Ennis drained another three-pointer as the Owls took a 63-51 lead. Owens-Barnett dropped the final six points for Rice and the Owls went on to win 69-58.
TEAM NOTES
UP NEXT
The Owls will continue their road swing at TCU on Sunday afternoon.
Malia Fisher and Dominique Ennis led the way for Rice, both dropping 13 points, Fisher scoring hers on 6-of-7 shooting while adding six rebounds, a block and a steal, while Ennis added two rebounds and an assist. Jazzy Owens-Barnett finished with 12 points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist.
As a team, Rice shot 25-of-54 (46%) from the floor and 8-of-27 (30%) from three-point range. The Owls added an 11-of-16 (69%) display from the free throw line. Rice scored 22 points on 13 ACU turnovers.
"Winning on the road is hard. Coming on the road, and coming into someone else's arena and getting a road win is really, really tough. I thought our players came in here and showed toughness and showed togetherness. There was a lot of people here pulling against us, but all it took was the 15 that we have and my staff to believe in one another and come out here and play hard, play tough and play together for 40 minutes. We got a great road win here because of it."
First Quarter
Fisher's layup opened the scoring, with Trinity Gooden following behind with a second-chance score to give the Owls and early 4-0 lead. After an ACU three-pointer, Emily Klaczek kickstarted an 7-0 run, with Jackson, Hayes and Gooden all contributing, to give Rice an 11-3 lead. Following back-to-back Wildcat scores, Maya Bokunewicz drilled a three with Ennis and Fatou Samb following with baskets to give Rice a 10-point lead. Owens-Barnett's jumper put Rice up 20-10, but a last-second three-point for ACU cut the Rice lead to 20-13 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
Bokunewicz opened the quarter with another three, with Owens-Barnett following with a layup, giving Rice a 25-13 lead to open the quarter. A quick run cut the lead to eight, but Fisher's layup pushed the lead back to double digits. After an 8-0 run for the Wildcats cut the lead down to two, Jackson's and-one conversion pushed the lead back to five at 30-25. Rice went into the half leading 30-27.
Third Quarter
Rice's offense came to life in the third quarter, with Fisher scoring back-to-back layups before Hayes' jumper opened a 6-0 scoring run. After an ACU score, Klaczek and Fisher started another run, with Fisher capping the run off with a three-pointer to give Rice a 43-29 lead. After Ennis' three put Rice up by 15, a quick ACU run cut the lead down to nine. Hailey Adams snapped the run with a jumper as the Owls took a 49-39 lead at the end of the third.
Fourth Quarter
ACU opened the fourth with a free throw before Bokunewicz drained a three to put Rice up by 12. After a 7-0 run by the Wildcats brought them within five, Jackson and Ennis combined for scores to put Rice up 56-47. ACU followed with a pair of free throws but Ennis was there to respond with a three-pointer. The Wildcats pulled within single digits once again, but Ennis drained another three-pointer as the Owls took a 63-51 lead. Owens-Barnett dropped the final six points for Rice and the Owls went on to win 69-58.
- Rice has now won 13 consecutive non-conference games, with the last loss coming on 12/4/21 at UT Arlington.
- The Owls are now 4-0 all-time against ACU.
The Owls will continue their road swing at TCU on Sunday afternoon.
Players Mentioned
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