Thursday, February 23
Houston, TX
7:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-197,107 CUSA
63
vs
58
UAB
-1215,414 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
UAB
18
7
11
22
58
Rice
15
19
19
10
63
Owls Fend Off Late Rally to Defeat UAB
2/23/2023 9:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON – The Rice women's basketball team held off a late rally from UAB to defeat the Blazers 63-58 at Tudor Fieldhouse Thursday night. Leading 61-58 with a minute left, Jazzy Owens-Barnett had a crucial steal with 49 seconds left with Destiny Jackson hitting a jumper to give the Owls a five-point lead with 20 seconds left.
India Bellamy led the way for the Owls with 19 points while adding four rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Katelyn Crosthwait netted 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three, while adding nine rebounds, two assists and a steal.
As a team Rice shot 22-of-52 (42.3%) from the floor and 5-of-11 (45.5%) from three-point range. The Owls held UAB to 22-of-62 (35.5%) from the floor and 2-of-19 (10.5%) from beyond the arc.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"I will start by saying that winning is hard, but we took care of home [court]. It didn't look exactly the way that we wanted it to look like, but thank goodness for our second and third quarter performances because that allowed the cushion that we needed tonight. UAB fought really hard in the fourth and I didn't love the way we finished the game, but we built that lead in the second and third that allowed us to make some of those mistakes in the fourth. I'm proud of them to pull it out and I'm glad that we took care of home [court], but I definitely think we are better than what we showed in the fourth."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
UAB opened the game on a 5-0 run before Dominique Ennis got the Owls on the board with a layup. The Blazers extended their lead to 12-4 before Bellamy kickstarted an 8-0 run with Crosthwait hitting back-to-back three pointers to tie the game. After the Blazers took back the lead at 16-12, Bellamy banked a three to cut the deficit to one. UAB held a 18-15 lead at the end of the first.
Second Quarter
After baskets from Crosthwait and Owens-Barnett gave the Owls the lead at 19-18, UAB answered with two quick baskets to take a four-point lead. Crosthwait ignited an 11-0 run with a jumper, with Jackson, Ashlee Austin, Jazzy and Bellamy all contributing. After UAB got within five at 30-25, Bellamy and Jackson closed the quarter out to give Rice a 34-25 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Crosthwait opened the second half with a three pointer, with Ennis and Bellamy following with layups to give Rice a 41-25 lead. After trading multiple baskets, Austin's three gave the Owls a 17-point advantage. Jackson and Austin closed the quarter with four-straight points to give Rice a 53-36 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
A quick 6-0 run for UAB got the Blazers within 11 to open the fourth before Austin and Bellamy hit back-to-back shots to push the Owls lead to 57-42. After trading baskets, UAB embarked on a 14-2 run to get within three at 61-58 with 2:33 left. Owens-Barnett came away with a steal with 49 seconds left with Jackson eventually hitting a jumper on the other end to seal the win for Rice 63-58.
UP NEXT
The Owls will be back at Tudor Fieldhouse Saturday for Senior Day against Charlotte at 2:00 p.m.
India Bellamy led the way for the Owls with 19 points while adding four rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Katelyn Crosthwait netted 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three, while adding nine rebounds, two assists and a steal.
As a team Rice shot 22-of-52 (42.3%) from the floor and 5-of-11 (45.5%) from three-point range. The Owls held UAB to 22-of-62 (35.5%) from the floor and 2-of-19 (10.5%) from beyond the arc.
"I will start by saying that winning is hard, but we took care of home [court]. It didn't look exactly the way that we wanted it to look like, but thank goodness for our second and third quarter performances because that allowed the cushion that we needed tonight. UAB fought really hard in the fourth and I didn't love the way we finished the game, but we built that lead in the second and third that allowed us to make some of those mistakes in the fourth. I'm proud of them to pull it out and I'm glad that we took care of home [court], but I definitely think we are better than what we showed in the fourth."
First Quarter
UAB opened the game on a 5-0 run before Dominique Ennis got the Owls on the board with a layup. The Blazers extended their lead to 12-4 before Bellamy kickstarted an 8-0 run with Crosthwait hitting back-to-back three pointers to tie the game. After the Blazers took back the lead at 16-12, Bellamy banked a three to cut the deficit to one. UAB held a 18-15 lead at the end of the first.
Second Quarter
After baskets from Crosthwait and Owens-Barnett gave the Owls the lead at 19-18, UAB answered with two quick baskets to take a four-point lead. Crosthwait ignited an 11-0 run with a jumper, with Jackson, Ashlee Austin, Jazzy and Bellamy all contributing. After UAB got within five at 30-25, Bellamy and Jackson closed the quarter out to give Rice a 34-25 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Crosthwait opened the second half with a three pointer, with Ennis and Bellamy following with layups to give Rice a 41-25 lead. After trading multiple baskets, Austin's three gave the Owls a 17-point advantage. Jackson and Austin closed the quarter with four-straight points to give Rice a 53-36 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
A quick 6-0 run for UAB got the Blazers within 11 to open the fourth before Austin and Bellamy hit back-to-back shots to push the Owls lead to 57-42. After trading baskets, UAB embarked on a 14-2 run to get within three at 61-58 with 2:33 left. Owens-Barnett came away with a steal with 49 seconds left with Jackson eventually hitting a jumper on the other end to seal the win for Rice 63-58.
The Owls will be back at Tudor Fieldhouse Saturday for Senior Day against Charlotte at 2:00 p.m.
Team Stats
UAB
Rice
FG%
.355
.423
3FG%
.105
.455
FT%
.706
.609
RB
36
42
TO
15
22
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
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