Friday, March 17
Provo, UT
8:00 PM CT
Rice University
at
Brigham Young University
PREVIEW: Rice to Face BYU in WNIT First Round
3/16/2023 12:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Rice Owls (22-8, 13-7 C-USA) vs BYU Cougars (16-16, 9-9 WCC)
Game 31 • Friday, March 17, 2023 • 8:00 p.m. CT
Provo, Utah • Marriott Center
Video Stream: BYUtv
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Twitter Updates: @RiceWBB |
WNIT First Round
The Rice Owls will face BYU in the opening round of the WNIT Friday night in Provo, Utah. This marks the 15th time in program history that Rice will compete in postseason play and also marks the 10th appearance in the WNIT. The Owls last appeared in the WNIT in 2021, when Rice won the tournament.
Last Time Out
The Owls fell late 62-54 to UTSA in the C-USA Quarterfinals last week. Rice shot 33% from the floor and 10.5% from three-point range in the game. India Bellamy led the team with 14 points in the game.
Rice vs. BYU
This is the fourth meeting all-time between Rice and BYU and first since 1998. The Owls lead the all-time series 2-1, winning the past two matchups with the Cougars.
C-USA Honors
Rice senior Ashlee Austin and sophomore Malia Fisher earned spots on the C-USA All-Conference Second Team. This is the second-straight year Austin earned a spot on the second team while Fisher was on the All-Freshman team and was a honorable mention last season.
Rising Star
After earning her first two career starts last week, Dominique Ennis has been named Conference USA Freshman of the Week (2/13). Ennis tied a career high in points with 12 and grabbed a career high five steals in Rice's 85-64 win against FAU.
DJ's World (We're Just Living In It)
Destiny Jackson was named the C-USA Player of the Week on Dec. 12 after her career performance against Houston, scoring a career-high 33 points on 12-of-14 shooting while adding seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Jackson has reached double-digit points in seven of the Owls' eight games this season.
A Historic Start
Rice wrapped up non-conference play with a perfect 9-0 record, marking the best start in program history. During the non-conference slate, Rice picked up a win over crosstown rival Houston 91-88 (2OT) and earned back-to-back wins against Power 5 programs, taking down Texas A&M in College Station 66-58 and then defending the homecourt against TCU 68-58.
Austin Tabbed for Preseason Honors, Owls Picked Fourth
Senior forward Ashlee Austin was named to the Conference USA Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team while league coaches picked the Owls to finish fourth in the conference race. Austin earned second-team, all-conference honors as a junior after a season in which she was the only player in C-USA to rank in the top 13 in points per game, field goal percentage, free throws made, and free throw percentage. She ranked fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (46.3) and fifth in scoring with 16.5 points per game as well as free throws made (122). She established career bests in nearly every statistical category and scored in double figures in 22 of 27 games, highlighted by a pair of 30-point efforts (Sam Houston & Charlotte).
Game 31 • Friday, March 17, 2023 • 8:00 p.m. CT
Provo, Utah • Marriott Center
Video Stream: BYUtv
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Twitter Updates: @RiceWBB |
WNIT First Round
The Rice Owls will face BYU in the opening round of the WNIT Friday night in Provo, Utah. This marks the 15th time in program history that Rice will compete in postseason play and also marks the 10th appearance in the WNIT. The Owls last appeared in the WNIT in 2021, when Rice won the tournament.
Last Time Out
The Owls fell late 62-54 to UTSA in the C-USA Quarterfinals last week. Rice shot 33% from the floor and 10.5% from three-point range in the game. India Bellamy led the team with 14 points in the game.
Rice vs. BYU
This is the fourth meeting all-time between Rice and BYU and first since 1998. The Owls lead the all-time series 2-1, winning the past two matchups with the Cougars.
C-USA Honors
Rice senior Ashlee Austin and sophomore Malia Fisher earned spots on the C-USA All-Conference Second Team. This is the second-straight year Austin earned a spot on the second team while Fisher was on the All-Freshman team and was a honorable mention last season.
Rising Star
After earning her first two career starts last week, Dominique Ennis has been named Conference USA Freshman of the Week (2/13). Ennis tied a career high in points with 12 and grabbed a career high five steals in Rice's 85-64 win against FAU.
DJ's World (We're Just Living In It)
Destiny Jackson was named the C-USA Player of the Week on Dec. 12 after her career performance against Houston, scoring a career-high 33 points on 12-of-14 shooting while adding seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Jackson has reached double-digit points in seven of the Owls' eight games this season.
A Historic Start
Rice wrapped up non-conference play with a perfect 9-0 record, marking the best start in program history. During the non-conference slate, Rice picked up a win over crosstown rival Houston 91-88 (2OT) and earned back-to-back wins against Power 5 programs, taking down Texas A&M in College Station 66-58 and then defending the homecourt against TCU 68-58.
Austin Tabbed for Preseason Honors, Owls Picked Fourth
Senior forward Ashlee Austin was named to the Conference USA Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team while league coaches picked the Owls to finish fourth in the conference race. Austin earned second-team, all-conference honors as a junior after a season in which she was the only player in C-USA to rank in the top 13 in points per game, field goal percentage, free throws made, and free throw percentage. She ranked fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (46.3) and fifth in scoring with 16.5 points per game as well as free throws made (122). She established career bests in nearly every statistical category and scored in double figures in 22 of 27 games, highlighted by a pair of 30-point efforts (Sam Houston & Charlotte).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
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