Thursday, January 11
Houston, TX
7 p.m.
Rice University
8-6,2-1AAC
54
vs
61
Charlotte
11-5,4-0AAC
1
2
3
4
F
Charlotte
12
13
15
21
61
Rice
12
15
12
15
54
Owls Fall at Home to Charlotte
1/11/2024 9:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON – The Rice women's basketball team dropped their first conference game of the season 61-54 against Charlotte Thursday night at Tudor Fieldhouse. The loss drops Rice's record to 8-6 (2-1 AAC).
Malia Fisher led the Owls with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while Dominique Ennis added 12 points, three rebounds and two steals. Destiny Jackson finished with her second career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while adding four steals and an assist.
As a team, Rice shot 22-of-73 (30.1%) from the field and 2-of-19 (10.5%) from three-point range. The Owls shot 8-of-11 (72.7%) from the free throw line.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"Obviously, this is not the outcome that we wanted. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought battle against Charlotte. It always is. It's always a physical game. Both teams try to show up and give their best. If you look at the stat sheets, there's a lot of good. We forced 29 turnovers, had 15 steals, had 13 offensive rebounds and almost 20 more shots than them, and you lose a basketball game. It's disheartening. It's not the brand of basketball we want to put on the court so we got to bounce back and be a better team on Sunday."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Fisher opened the game with a layup with Shelby Hayes following with a jumper to give the Owls an early advantage. Leading 6-4, Jackson extended the lead back to four points with a basket. After Fatou Samb's layup put Rice up 12-8, Charlotte scored the final four points of the quarter to tie the game at 12-12.
Second Quarter
The 49ers scored to open the second quarter to take the lead, but Emily Klaczek's three-pointer gave the lead back to the Owls. With the score tied, Ennis hit a layup and later converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give Rice a 20-15 lead. After a quick run gave Charlotte a 23-22 lead, Jackson gave the lead back to the Owls with a layup. Down by one, Maya Bokunewicz drilled a three-pointer as the Owls went into halftime up 27-25.
Third Quarter
Fisher opened the third with a pull-up jumper before Hayes later netted another basket as the two sides traded scores early on. After a three-pointer gave Charlotte the lead, Jackson's layup gave the lead right back to Rice. After five lead changes, a 49er free throw gave Charlotte a 40-39 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Charlotte opened the fourth with a 7-0 run to take a 47-39 lead before Fisher snapped the run. Trailing by eight, Jackson's layup kickstarted a quick 5-0 run to bring the Owls within three at 49-46 with 3:51 remaining. After Charlotte took a six-point lead, Ennis' layup, followed by free throws from Hailey Adams, brought the Owls within two with 2:05 left. The Owls weren't able to get any closer than two the rest of the way as the 49ers pulled away with a 61-54 win.
TEAM NOTES
UP NEXT
Rice will wrap up its short homestand Sunday against South Florida. That game will tip-off at 12:00 p.m. and will be watched on ESPNU.
Malia Fisher led the Owls with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while Dominique Ennis added 12 points, three rebounds and two steals. Destiny Jackson finished with her second career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while adding four steals and an assist.
As a team, Rice shot 22-of-73 (30.1%) from the field and 2-of-19 (10.5%) from three-point range. The Owls shot 8-of-11 (72.7%) from the free throw line.
"Obviously, this is not the outcome that we wanted. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought battle against Charlotte. It always is. It's always a physical game. Both teams try to show up and give their best. If you look at the stat sheets, there's a lot of good. We forced 29 turnovers, had 15 steals, had 13 offensive rebounds and almost 20 more shots than them, and you lose a basketball game. It's disheartening. It's not the brand of basketball we want to put on the court so we got to bounce back and be a better team on Sunday."
First Quarter
Fisher opened the game with a layup with Shelby Hayes following with a jumper to give the Owls an early advantage. Leading 6-4, Jackson extended the lead back to four points with a basket. After Fatou Samb's layup put Rice up 12-8, Charlotte scored the final four points of the quarter to tie the game at 12-12.
Second Quarter
The 49ers scored to open the second quarter to take the lead, but Emily Klaczek's three-pointer gave the lead back to the Owls. With the score tied, Ennis hit a layup and later converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give Rice a 20-15 lead. After a quick run gave Charlotte a 23-22 lead, Jackson gave the lead back to the Owls with a layup. Down by one, Maya Bokunewicz drilled a three-pointer as the Owls went into halftime up 27-25.
Third Quarter
Fisher opened the third with a pull-up jumper before Hayes later netted another basket as the two sides traded scores early on. After a three-pointer gave Charlotte the lead, Jackson's layup gave the lead right back to Rice. After five lead changes, a 49er free throw gave Charlotte a 40-39 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Charlotte opened the fourth with a 7-0 run to take a 47-39 lead before Fisher snapped the run. Trailing by eight, Jackson's layup kickstarted a quick 5-0 run to bring the Owls within three at 49-46 with 3:51 remaining. After Charlotte took a six-point lead, Ennis' layup, followed by free throws from Hailey Adams, brought the Owls within two with 2:05 left. The Owls weren't able to get any closer than two the rest of the way as the 49ers pulled away with a 61-54 win.
- With the loss, the Owls are 4-11 all-time against Charlotte.
- Jackson recorded her 500th career rebound.
Rice will wrap up its short homestand Sunday against South Florida. That game will tip-off at 12:00 p.m. and will be watched on ESPNU.
Team Stats
CLT
Rice
FG%
.404
.301
3FG%
.400
.105
FT%
.760
.727
RB
47
38
TO
29
17
STL
10
15
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
4
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
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