Thursday, February 9
Houston, TX
7:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-166,76 CUSA
85
vs
64
Florida Atlantic
-1211,59 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Fla. Atlantic
18
14
20
12
64
Rice
22
12
29
22
85
Strong Second Half Propels Rice Over FAU
2/9/2023 10:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON – The Rice women's basketball took control of the second half to defeat FAU 85-64 at Tudor Fieldhouse Thursday night. Rice shot a blistering 54.4% from the floor and 58.4% from three in the second half to fuel Rice to victory.
India Bellamy led the way with 17 points while adding four rebounds. Destiny Jackson added another 13 points, four rebounds and two assists while Dominique Ennis finished with 12 points and three rebounds. Jazzy Owens-Barnett rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and two rebounds.
As a team Rice shot 34-of-70 (49%) and 7-of-15 (47%) from three-point range. Rice also forced 22 FAU turnovers, scoring 30 points off those turnovers.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"That was a lot of fun to come in here and put together a full game. We talked about at the end of the third when we had made our run and were like, 'let's really keep our foot on the gas and let's not let them think that they can hang with us,' and I am so proud of their efforts in the fourth quarter. I felt like that was the first time in a long time that we played a full 40 minutes and let a team not hang around. I'm really proud of our effort, we had four in double figures and two just a bucket away from getting there. I thought there was a lot of beautiful basketball and we looked really good on the defensive end as well."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
FAU opened the game on an 8-0 run before Trinity Gooden's layup got Rice on the board. Following another basket for the visiting Owls, Jackson sparked an 9-2 run, with Ennis and Shelby Hayes contributing to cut the deficit down to one. Jackson later gave Rice its first lead at 16-14, with Bellamy extending the lead with a layup. Rice led at the end of the quarter 22-18.
Second Quarter
Katelyn Crosthwait opened the second with a three-pointer, with FAU responding with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 27-27 with 4:49 until halftime. After a free throw gave FAU the lead, Owens-Barnett quickly gave the lead back to the home team. The two traded baskets and leads until Gooden's free throws in the closing seconds gave Rice a 34-32 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
After trading baskets to open the third, Bellamy's layup followed by Jackson's three gave Rice a five-point lead. Malia Fisher and Bellamy later extended the lead to nine, as Rice fended off each FAU basket. Owens-Barnett's jumper put Rice up 61-50 with 1:57 in the quarter, with Rice eventually leading 63-52 at the end of the third.
Fourth Quarter
Jackson opened the fourth with a layup, sparking an 8-0 for Rice with Bellamy following with a layup and Ennis capping the run off with a three to give Rice a 70-52 lead. Crosthwait later followed with another Rice three, extending the lead to 20 points. Kennedy Clifton kept the offense rolling, hitting several shots to keep the lead intact. Fatou Samb capped off the Rice baskets with a second-chance layup as Rice came away with the 85-64 win.
UP NEXT
The Owls will be back at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday when the team welcomes FIU at 1:00 p.m.
India Bellamy led the way with 17 points while adding four rebounds. Destiny Jackson added another 13 points, four rebounds and two assists while Dominique Ennis finished with 12 points and three rebounds. Jazzy Owens-Barnett rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and two rebounds.
As a team Rice shot 34-of-70 (49%) and 7-of-15 (47%) from three-point range. Rice also forced 22 FAU turnovers, scoring 30 points off those turnovers.
"That was a lot of fun to come in here and put together a full game. We talked about at the end of the third when we had made our run and were like, 'let's really keep our foot on the gas and let's not let them think that they can hang with us,' and I am so proud of their efforts in the fourth quarter. I felt like that was the first time in a long time that we played a full 40 minutes and let a team not hang around. I'm really proud of our effort, we had four in double figures and two just a bucket away from getting there. I thought there was a lot of beautiful basketball and we looked really good on the defensive end as well."
First Quarter
FAU opened the game on an 8-0 run before Trinity Gooden's layup got Rice on the board. Following another basket for the visiting Owls, Jackson sparked an 9-2 run, with Ennis and Shelby Hayes contributing to cut the deficit down to one. Jackson later gave Rice its first lead at 16-14, with Bellamy extending the lead with a layup. Rice led at the end of the quarter 22-18.
Second Quarter
Katelyn Crosthwait opened the second with a three-pointer, with FAU responding with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 27-27 with 4:49 until halftime. After a free throw gave FAU the lead, Owens-Barnett quickly gave the lead back to the home team. The two traded baskets and leads until Gooden's free throws in the closing seconds gave Rice a 34-32 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
After trading baskets to open the third, Bellamy's layup followed by Jackson's three gave Rice a five-point lead. Malia Fisher and Bellamy later extended the lead to nine, as Rice fended off each FAU basket. Owens-Barnett's jumper put Rice up 61-50 with 1:57 in the quarter, with Rice eventually leading 63-52 at the end of the third.
Fourth Quarter
Jackson opened the fourth with a layup, sparking an 8-0 for Rice with Bellamy following with a layup and Ennis capping the run off with a three to give Rice a 70-52 lead. Crosthwait later followed with another Rice three, extending the lead to 20 points. Kennedy Clifton kept the offense rolling, hitting several shots to keep the lead intact. Fatou Samb capped off the Rice baskets with a second-chance layup as Rice came away with the 85-64 win.
The Owls will be back at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday when the team welcomes FIU at 1:00 p.m.
Team Stats
FAU
Rice
FG%
.460
.486
3FG%
.125
.467
FT%
.667
.769
RB
32
37
TO
22
15
STL
10
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
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