Fast Start Fuels Rice Past Tulane
1/20/2024 4:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS – The Rice women's basketball team built a lead in the first quarter and never looked back as the Owls defeated Tulane 61-44 Saturday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse. The Owls move to 11-6 (5-1 AAC) on the season.
Dominique Ennis led the Owls with 16 points, five rebounds and a block, while Malia Fisher added 14 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Destiny Jackson finished with 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and a block, while Maya Bokunewicz rounded out the Rice double-digit scorers with 10 points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
As a team, Rice shot 24-of-49 (49.0%) from the floor and 6-of-17 (35.3%) from three-point range. Rice added a 7-of-9 (77.8%) showing from the free throw line. The Owls limited Tulane to 19-of-56 (33.9%) shooting from the floor and 4-of-18 (22.2%) shooting from three-point range.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"Winning is hard, and winning on the road is even harder, and in back-to-back road games is really hard. I'm proud of our young ladies and their toughness and togetherness. I thought we got out to a great start with a great first quarter. We had a little bit of a lull in the second, but I thought we responded really, really well in the third quarter. We pushed through that fatigue that we were experiencing a little bit and got it done. We had some players playing out of position today. We were down a man, so I thought everybody just stepped up. They have that next-woman mentality of 'Hey, we can do this.' Again, it wasn't always perfect because we had some players playing out of position, but I'm just really proud of them for finding a way to get another win on the road."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Fisher scored Rice's first three baskets as the two sides traded scores early. Down by three, Trinity Gooden's jumper brought Rice within one, with Ennis and Jackson following with back-to-back three-pointers to give Rice a 14-9 lead. Leading by four, another Jackson three-pointer followed by a Fisher jumper gave the Owls a 23-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
After Tulane got within seven, Jackson extended the lead back to nine with a jumper. A Green Wave three-pointer cut the deficit to six, but back-to-back scores from Jackson and Ennis made it a double-digit lead for Rice. After Bokunewicz's three-pointer gave Rice a 32-19 lead, Tulane scored the final basket of the quarter to make it 32-21 at halftime.
Third Quarter
Ennis and Fisher opened the third quarter with back-to-back layups to give Rice a 15-point lead. Following a Tulane score, Shelby Hayes' layup, followed by an Ennis three-pointer, gave Rice a 41-23 lead. After Tulane cut the deficit to 12 points, Bokunewicz closed the quarter with another Rice three-pointer to give Rice a 50-35 lead at the end of the third.
Fourth Quarter
A 7-0 Tulane run cut the deficit to 50-42, but Ennis' layup snapped the run. After Tulane got back within eight points, Bokunewicz's layup kickstarted a 9-0 Owl run to close the game, keeping the Green Wave scoreless for nearly six minutes, as Rice went on to win 61-44.
TEAM NOTES
UP NEXT
The Owls will conclude their three-game road trip next Wednesday at Tulsa.
Dominique Ennis led the Owls with 16 points, five rebounds and a block, while Malia Fisher added 14 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Destiny Jackson finished with 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and a block, while Maya Bokunewicz rounded out the Rice double-digit scorers with 10 points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
As a team, Rice shot 24-of-49 (49.0%) from the floor and 6-of-17 (35.3%) from three-point range. Rice added a 7-of-9 (77.8%) showing from the free throw line. The Owls limited Tulane to 19-of-56 (33.9%) shooting from the floor and 4-of-18 (22.2%) shooting from three-point range.
"Winning is hard, and winning on the road is even harder, and in back-to-back road games is really hard. I'm proud of our young ladies and their toughness and togetherness. I thought we got out to a great start with a great first quarter. We had a little bit of a lull in the second, but I thought we responded really, really well in the third quarter. We pushed through that fatigue that we were experiencing a little bit and got it done. We had some players playing out of position today. We were down a man, so I thought everybody just stepped up. They have that next-woman mentality of 'Hey, we can do this.' Again, it wasn't always perfect because we had some players playing out of position, but I'm just really proud of them for finding a way to get another win on the road."
First Quarter
Fisher scored Rice's first three baskets as the two sides traded scores early. Down by three, Trinity Gooden's jumper brought Rice within one, with Ennis and Jackson following with back-to-back three-pointers to give Rice a 14-9 lead. Leading by four, another Jackson three-pointer followed by a Fisher jumper gave the Owls a 23-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
After Tulane got within seven, Jackson extended the lead back to nine with a jumper. A Green Wave three-pointer cut the deficit to six, but back-to-back scores from Jackson and Ennis made it a double-digit lead for Rice. After Bokunewicz's three-pointer gave Rice a 32-19 lead, Tulane scored the final basket of the quarter to make it 32-21 at halftime.
Third Quarter
Ennis and Fisher opened the third quarter with back-to-back layups to give Rice a 15-point lead. Following a Tulane score, Shelby Hayes' layup, followed by an Ennis three-pointer, gave Rice a 41-23 lead. After Tulane cut the deficit to 12 points, Bokunewicz closed the quarter with another Rice three-pointer to give Rice a 50-35 lead at the end of the third.
Fourth Quarter
A 7-0 Tulane run cut the deficit to 50-42, but Ennis' layup snapped the run. After Tulane got back within eight points, Bokunewicz's layup kickstarted a 9-0 Owl run to close the game, keeping the Green Wave scoreless for nearly six minutes, as Rice went on to win 61-44.
- With the win, Rice is now 13-17 all-time against Tulane.
- Fisher's five steals is a new career-high.
- Fisher has surpassed 100 career steals.
The Owls will conclude their three-game road trip next Wednesday at Tulsa.
Players Mentioned
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