Saturday, February 25
Houston, TX
2:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-207,117 CUSA
64
vs
52
Charlotte
-1116,711 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Charlotte
10
10
16
16
52
Rice
21
15
20
8
64
Owls Down 49ers on Senior Day
2/25/2023 5:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON – The Rice women's basketball team led wire-to-wire as the Owls defeated Charlotte 64-52 at Tudor Fieldhouse on Senior Day. The Owls honored their six seniors before the game: Ashlee Austin, India Bellamy, Katelyn Crosthwait, Destiny Jackson, Alexis Stover and Haylee Swayze.
The win marks the first 20-win season for Rice under Lindsay Edmonds, who accomplishes the milestone in only her second season as head coach. The Owls move to 20-7 (11-7 C-USA) while Charlotte falls to 11-16 (7-11 C-USA)
Shelby Hayes led the way with her first career double-double, dropping a career high 18 points while grabbing a career high 13 rebounds. Austin added 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks while Bellamy netted 11 points with three rebounds and a steal.
As a team Rice shot 25-of-69 (36.2%) from the floor and 6-of-24 (25%) from three-point range. The Owls held Charlotte to 18-of-58 (30.5%) shooting from the floor and 2-of-8 (25%) from three.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"What a game! That was so much fun. I am so proud of our effort and our energy and proud of the way we sent our seniors out. We had a lot of alumni here so we gave them something to be proud of and we put a great product on the floor. Really, really proud of our team for the energy we played with., the way we had each other's backs, the way we flying around offensively and defensively. That was a great win, we took care of home [court] and I'm just super proud of them."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Jackson opened the game with a layup before the two sides traded baskets early. With Rice up 7-6, Swayze kickstarted an 11-0 run with a three pointer, followed by back-to-back threes from Austin and Swayze again, with Bellamy capping off the run with a layup. The 49ers cut the deficit to eight, but Crosthwait hit a three to give the Owls a 21-10 lead at the end of the first.
Second Quarter
Charlotte was able to cut the lead down to 24-16 with six minutes left, but Hayes' layup followed by a three from Dominique Ennis extended the lead back to 13 points. Hayes closed the quarter with four-straight points to give Rice a 36-20 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Bellamy and Jackson kept the Owl offense going to open the third, with Austin and Hayes eventually extending the lead to 21 points at 46-25, forcing a 49er timeout. After trading multiple baskets, Austin converted an and-one opportunity, giving the team their biggest lead at 54-32. The Owls led 56-36 at the end of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Following Charlotte's first three of the game, Austin gave the Owls their first basket of the fourth with a layup. After Bellamy's layup gave Rice a 62-44 lead, the 49ers embarked on an 8-0 run to get within 10 points at 62-52 with 1:24 left in the game. The Owls defense stopped Charlotte from tacking on any further points, as Fatou Samb closed out the game with a layup for Rice's 64-52 win.
UP NEXT
The Owls will wrap up the regular season next weekend in the Sunshine State, when Rice plays the two Florida's beginning with FAU on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The win marks the first 20-win season for Rice under Lindsay Edmonds, who accomplishes the milestone in only her second season as head coach. The Owls move to 20-7 (11-7 C-USA) while Charlotte falls to 11-16 (7-11 C-USA)
Shelby Hayes led the way with her first career double-double, dropping a career high 18 points while grabbing a career high 13 rebounds. Austin added 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks while Bellamy netted 11 points with three rebounds and a steal.
As a team Rice shot 25-of-69 (36.2%) from the floor and 6-of-24 (25%) from three-point range. The Owls held Charlotte to 18-of-58 (30.5%) shooting from the floor and 2-of-8 (25%) from three.
"What a game! That was so much fun. I am so proud of our effort and our energy and proud of the way we sent our seniors out. We had a lot of alumni here so we gave them something to be proud of and we put a great product on the floor. Really, really proud of our team for the energy we played with., the way we had each other's backs, the way we flying around offensively and defensively. That was a great win, we took care of home [court] and I'm just super proud of them."
First Quarter
Jackson opened the game with a layup before the two sides traded baskets early. With Rice up 7-6, Swayze kickstarted an 11-0 run with a three pointer, followed by back-to-back threes from Austin and Swayze again, with Bellamy capping off the run with a layup. The 49ers cut the deficit to eight, but Crosthwait hit a three to give the Owls a 21-10 lead at the end of the first.
Second Quarter
Charlotte was able to cut the lead down to 24-16 with six minutes left, but Hayes' layup followed by a three from Dominique Ennis extended the lead back to 13 points. Hayes closed the quarter with four-straight points to give Rice a 36-20 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Bellamy and Jackson kept the Owl offense going to open the third, with Austin and Hayes eventually extending the lead to 21 points at 46-25, forcing a 49er timeout. After trading multiple baskets, Austin converted an and-one opportunity, giving the team their biggest lead at 54-32. The Owls led 56-36 at the end of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Following Charlotte's first three of the game, Austin gave the Owls their first basket of the fourth with a layup. After Bellamy's layup gave Rice a 62-44 lead, the 49ers embarked on an 8-0 run to get within 10 points at 62-52 with 1:24 left in the game. The Owls defense stopped Charlotte from tacking on any further points, as Fatou Samb closed out the game with a layup for Rice's 64-52 win.
The Owls will wrap up the regular season next weekend in the Sunshine State, when Rice plays the two Florida's beginning with FAU on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Team Stats
CLT
Rice
FG%
.305
.362
3FG%
.250
.250
FT%
.700
.571
RB
40
49
TO
14
14
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
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