Saturday, February 4
Denton, TX
3:30 P.M. CT
Rice University
-156,66 CUSA
66
at
69
North Texas
-913,66 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Rice
15
18
19
14
66
North Texas
18
14
19
18
69
Photo by: ©Juan DeLeon Creative
Rice Falls On Road To North Texas
2/4/2023 6:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DENTON, TEXAS – The Rice women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought game to North Texas 69-66 at the Super Pit Saturday afternoon. With a second left in the game and trailing by three, the Owls had a three from Dominique Ennis that fell just short, bouncing off the front part of the rim.
Malia Fisher led the Owls with 20 points while adding eight rebounds, two assists and a block and steal. Ashlee Austin added another 16 points and eight rebounds. Trinity Gooden rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points, while adding three rebounds and two assists.
As a team, the Owls shot 24-of-60 (40%) from the floor and 8-of-23 (35%) from three-point range. The loss drops Rice's record to 15-6 (6-6 C-USA).
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Gooden got the Owls first basket for the game following a UNT score as the two sides traded baskets early. UNT grabbed an early 8-7 lead, and embarked on a quick 6-0 run to take a seven-point lead with 4:39 in the quarter. Austin cut the lead down to four with a three pointer, with Gooden following with a layup to get Rice within two. North Texas held a 18-15 lead at the end of the period.
Second Quarter
Fisher and India Bellamy got the Owls going to start the second, but the Mean Green were able to extend their lead to eight at 27-19 with 4:43 left in the half. Fisher netted the next six points to get the Owls within two, but UNT was able to push its lead back to five with 1:36 left. Dominique Ennis drilled a three to get Rice back within two, with Fisher following with another Rice three to give the Owls a 33-32 advantage at halftime.
Third Quarter
Fisher and Austin went to work countering each UNT basket to open the second half, with UNT eventually taking a 44-41 lead. Austin quickly tied the game with a triple, with the Owls later finding themselves tied 49-49 with two minutes left. Ennis drained a three to give the lead back to Rice, but a final basket by UNT cut the Owl lead to one at 52-51.
Fourth Quarter
Ennis opened the fourth with her third three of the game, giving the Owls a four-point lead. After Bellamy countered a UNT score to get the lead back to four, North Texas took back the lead with a quick 5-0 run. Austin's layup gave the Owls a one-point lead with 4:27 left, but UNT responded again, taking a four-point lead. Rice came back to tie the game with 50 seconds left, but UNT hit a three with 19 seconds left to take back the lead. The Owls had several chances at the free throw line, with Rice eventually having the last shot with a second left, but Ennis' three fell just short as the Mean Green came away with the win.
UP NEXT
The Owls will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 9, when the team welcomes FAU to Tudor Fieldhouse at 7:00 p.m.
Malia Fisher led the Owls with 20 points while adding eight rebounds, two assists and a block and steal. Ashlee Austin added another 16 points and eight rebounds. Trinity Gooden rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points, while adding three rebounds and two assists.
As a team, the Owls shot 24-of-60 (40%) from the floor and 8-of-23 (35%) from three-point range. The loss drops Rice's record to 15-6 (6-6 C-USA).
First Quarter
Gooden got the Owls first basket for the game following a UNT score as the two sides traded baskets early. UNT grabbed an early 8-7 lead, and embarked on a quick 6-0 run to take a seven-point lead with 4:39 in the quarter. Austin cut the lead down to four with a three pointer, with Gooden following with a layup to get Rice within two. North Texas held a 18-15 lead at the end of the period.
Second Quarter
Fisher and India Bellamy got the Owls going to start the second, but the Mean Green were able to extend their lead to eight at 27-19 with 4:43 left in the half. Fisher netted the next six points to get the Owls within two, but UNT was able to push its lead back to five with 1:36 left. Dominique Ennis drilled a three to get Rice back within two, with Fisher following with another Rice three to give the Owls a 33-32 advantage at halftime.
Third Quarter
Fisher and Austin went to work countering each UNT basket to open the second half, with UNT eventually taking a 44-41 lead. Austin quickly tied the game with a triple, with the Owls later finding themselves tied 49-49 with two minutes left. Ennis drained a three to give the lead back to Rice, but a final basket by UNT cut the Owl lead to one at 52-51.
Fourth Quarter
Ennis opened the fourth with her third three of the game, giving the Owls a four-point lead. After Bellamy countered a UNT score to get the lead back to four, North Texas took back the lead with a quick 5-0 run. Austin's layup gave the Owls a one-point lead with 4:27 left, but UNT responded again, taking a four-point lead. Rice came back to tie the game with 50 seconds left, but UNT hit a three with 19 seconds left to take back the lead. The Owls had several chances at the free throw line, with Rice eventually having the last shot with a second left, but Ennis' three fell just short as the Mean Green came away with the win.
The Owls will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 9, when the team welcomes FAU to Tudor Fieldhouse at 7:00 p.m.
Team Stats
Rice
UNT
FG%
.400
.500
3FG%
.348
.444
FT%
.588
.739
RB
36
31
TO
20
15
STL
9
14
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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