Saturday, February 11
Houston, TX
1:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-176,86 CUSA
67
vs
58
FIU
-1212,78 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
FIU
12
15
14
17
58
Rice
11
24
18
14
67
Photo by: ©Juan DeLeon Creative
Bellamy and Fisher Power Rice To Weekend Sweep
2/11/2023 3:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON – The Rice women's basketball team swept the weekend series after defeating FIU 67-58 at Tudor Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon. The Owls used stellar defense to hold the Panthers to only 37.3% (20-of-53) from the floor.
India Bellamy led the Owls for the second-straight game, dropping 20 points while adding six rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Malia Fisher added another 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists and steals. In total, nine different Owls scored in the game.
As a team Rice shot 26-of-60 (43.3%) and 4-of-14 (28.6%) from three-point range. Rice added 21 points off of 20 FIU turnovers and outscored the Panthers in the paint 36-20.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"What a great week, took care of home [court] and we swept the week to finish 2-0. I'm really proud of the team, really proud of our efforts. The fourth quarter got a little ugly at times but I'm proud of us persevering and hanging on to find a way to get a win against a really scrappy FIU team. This game was the most important game because it was our next one and we did what we needed to do to get a win. I thought India was huge in the game with 20 points and Malia obviously with 19 points. When we have that attack from the inside I think that we are really hard to beat and to guard."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Dominique Ennis got the Owls going with a layup, followed by another layup by Bellamy to give Rice an early 4-0 lead. FIU countered by embarking on a 12-0 run, with Bellamy stopping the run with a layup to make it 12-6 with 2:04 left in the quarter. Fisher cut the deficit in half with an old fashion three-point play with a layup and foul. Fisher followed by hitting a shot at the buzzer to cap off Rice's 7-0 run, trailing the Panthers 12-11.
Second Quarter
Katelyn Crosthwait opened the second with a three pointer, giving the Owls the lead. After FIU tied it at 17-17, Fisher and Kennedy Clifton combined for an 8-2 run to give Rice a 23-17 lead. Following a Panther basket, Clifton drilled a three, with Bellamy following with a layup to give Rice a 28-19 advantage. After trading baskets, Clifton ended the quarter with a jumper to give the Owls a 35-27 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Ennis got Rice going to open the second half with a layup, with Trinity Gooden following shortly after to put the Owls up 39-27. After trading baskets, Fisher hit a three pointer to extend the Owl lead to 47-32 with 2:43 left in the quarter. Rice held a 53-41 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
FIU cut the Owls lead down to eight to open the fourth, but Bellamy pushed the lead back to 10 with a layup. The Panthers were able to get within five at 59-54 with 4:14 left, but Bellamy's layup followed by Fisher's three pointer pushed the lead back up to 10. The Owls were able to convert free throws down the stretch to earn a 67-58 win.
UP NEXT
The Owls will be on the road next week, starting Thursday when the team travels to San Antonio to face UTSA at 7:00 p.m.
India Bellamy led the Owls for the second-straight game, dropping 20 points while adding six rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Malia Fisher added another 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists and steals. In total, nine different Owls scored in the game.
As a team Rice shot 26-of-60 (43.3%) and 4-of-14 (28.6%) from three-point range. Rice added 21 points off of 20 FIU turnovers and outscored the Panthers in the paint 36-20.
"What a great week, took care of home [court] and we swept the week to finish 2-0. I'm really proud of the team, really proud of our efforts. The fourth quarter got a little ugly at times but I'm proud of us persevering and hanging on to find a way to get a win against a really scrappy FIU team. This game was the most important game because it was our next one and we did what we needed to do to get a win. I thought India was huge in the game with 20 points and Malia obviously with 19 points. When we have that attack from the inside I think that we are really hard to beat and to guard."
First Quarter
Dominique Ennis got the Owls going with a layup, followed by another layup by Bellamy to give Rice an early 4-0 lead. FIU countered by embarking on a 12-0 run, with Bellamy stopping the run with a layup to make it 12-6 with 2:04 left in the quarter. Fisher cut the deficit in half with an old fashion three-point play with a layup and foul. Fisher followed by hitting a shot at the buzzer to cap off Rice's 7-0 run, trailing the Panthers 12-11.
Second Quarter
Katelyn Crosthwait opened the second with a three pointer, giving the Owls the lead. After FIU tied it at 17-17, Fisher and Kennedy Clifton combined for an 8-2 run to give Rice a 23-17 lead. Following a Panther basket, Clifton drilled a three, with Bellamy following with a layup to give Rice a 28-19 advantage. After trading baskets, Clifton ended the quarter with a jumper to give the Owls a 35-27 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Ennis got Rice going to open the second half with a layup, with Trinity Gooden following shortly after to put the Owls up 39-27. After trading baskets, Fisher hit a three pointer to extend the Owl lead to 47-32 with 2:43 left in the quarter. Rice held a 53-41 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
FIU cut the Owls lead down to eight to open the fourth, but Bellamy pushed the lead back to 10 with a layup. The Panthers were able to get within five at 59-54 with 4:14 left, but Bellamy's layup followed by Fisher's three pointer pushed the lead back up to 10. The Owls were able to convert free throws down the stretch to earn a 67-58 win.
The Owls will be on the road next week, starting Thursday when the team travels to San Antonio to face UTSA at 7:00 p.m.
Team Stats
FIU
Rice
FG%
.377
.433
3FG%
.333
.286
FT%
.929
.647
RB
34
35
TO
20
13
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
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