Thursday, November 7
Houston, Texas
7 p.m.
Rice University
1-1,0-0AAC
61
vs
60
North Carolina A&T
0-2,0-0CAA
1
2
3
4
F
N.C. A&T
15
17
15
13
60
Rice
13
19
7
22
61
Owls Rally Past North Carolina A&T for First Win
11/7/2024 11:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON – Following the heartbreak of Monday night, the Rice women's basketball team found themselves on the opposite side, trailing by nine in the fourth quarter. This time, it was the Owls rallying to victory in a 61-60 win over North Carolina A&T Thursday night at Tudor Fieldhouse for the team's first win over the 2024-25 campaign.
Sussy Ngulefac powered the Owls' offense behind the team's first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while adding three blocks and two steals. Freshman Aniah Alexis dropped 12 points and six rebounds in just her second collegiate game. All nine Owls that saw the floor scored points tonight.
As a team, Rice shot 23-of-61 (37.7%) from the field and 4-of-21 (19%) from three-point range. The Owls added an 11-of-17 (64.7%) showing from the free throw line.
Postgame Reaction – Shelley Pennington and Friends Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"It feels good to be in the win column. The Monday night game we played really good in the first three quarters and not our greatest in the fourth. Tonight, unfortunately, felt a little flipped where we didn't play our greatest in the first three but then played really well in the fourth. We were able to make a run in the fourth and win the game. There are definitely some things we can clean up, but they showed some fight tonight and [showed] the unwillingness to let the game go by and slip away from us. I'm proud of them for that. There are definitely things to clean up, but there are some highlights in there. Winning is hard."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
A pair of Aggie baskets opened the game before Ennis drilled a three to make it a one-point game. Later, down by three, Shelby Hayes hit a turn-around jumper to make it 9-8 halfway through the quarter. A Trinity Gooden jumper followed by a pair of Ennis free throws tied the game, but A&T took a 15-13 lead at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
Alexis opened the second with a three-pointer to give Rice its first lead. Later down by one, Alexis and Ngulefac combined for an 8-0 run to put Rice up 24-17. After the Aggies tied things up, Ennis and Hailey Adams gave Rice a four-point lead, but the two sides went into the half tied at 32 all.
Third Quarter
Ngulefac picked up right where she left off in the first half with a basket to give Rice the lead. Following an Aggie score, Ngulefac hit back-to-back shots to put Rice up four. A 13-1 A&T run to close the quarter put the Aggies up 47-39 headed into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
After a free throw extended the Aggie lead to nine, Emily Klaczek drilled a three to cut the deficit to six. After getting a stop on the defensive side, Victoria Flores' jumper, followed by Alexis' three-pointer after an Ennis steal, made it a one-point game. The two sides traded baskets until Klaczek's layup, followed by Ngulefac's and-one conversion, gave Rice a 55-53 lead. Trailing by one with a minute left, Ngulefac hit the game-winner with 48 seconds remaining, with the final shot at the buzzer falling short for the Aggies.
Quick Notes
Ngulefac tied a career high with two steals.
Alexis hit the first three-pointer of her career.
Edmonds is now 1-0 in one-point games.
This was the first meeting between the two schools.
UP NEXT
Rice is back in action next Monday night against South Alabama at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Sussy Ngulefac powered the Owls' offense behind the team's first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while adding three blocks and two steals. Freshman Aniah Alexis dropped 12 points and six rebounds in just her second collegiate game. All nine Owls that saw the floor scored points tonight.
As a team, Rice shot 23-of-61 (37.7%) from the field and 4-of-21 (19%) from three-point range. The Owls added an 11-of-17 (64.7%) showing from the free throw line.
"It feels good to be in the win column. The Monday night game we played really good in the first three quarters and not our greatest in the fourth. Tonight, unfortunately, felt a little flipped where we didn't play our greatest in the first three but then played really well in the fourth. We were able to make a run in the fourth and win the game. There are definitely some things we can clean up, but they showed some fight tonight and [showed] the unwillingness to let the game go by and slip away from us. I'm proud of them for that. There are definitely things to clean up, but there are some highlights in there. Winning is hard."
First Quarter
A pair of Aggie baskets opened the game before Ennis drilled a three to make it a one-point game. Later, down by three, Shelby Hayes hit a turn-around jumper to make it 9-8 halfway through the quarter. A Trinity Gooden jumper followed by a pair of Ennis free throws tied the game, but A&T took a 15-13 lead at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
Alexis opened the second with a three-pointer to give Rice its first lead. Later down by one, Alexis and Ngulefac combined for an 8-0 run to put Rice up 24-17. After the Aggies tied things up, Ennis and Hailey Adams gave Rice a four-point lead, but the two sides went into the half tied at 32 all.
Third Quarter
Ngulefac picked up right where she left off in the first half with a basket to give Rice the lead. Following an Aggie score, Ngulefac hit back-to-back shots to put Rice up four. A 13-1 A&T run to close the quarter put the Aggies up 47-39 headed into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
After a free throw extended the Aggie lead to nine, Emily Klaczek drilled a three to cut the deficit to six. After getting a stop on the defensive side, Victoria Flores' jumper, followed by Alexis' three-pointer after an Ennis steal, made it a one-point game. The two sides traded baskets until Klaczek's layup, followed by Ngulefac's and-one conversion, gave Rice a 55-53 lead. Trailing by one with a minute left, Ngulefac hit the game-winner with 48 seconds remaining, with the final shot at the buzzer falling short for the Aggies.
Ngulefac tied a career high with two steals.
Alexis hit the first three-pointer of her career.
Edmonds is now 1-0 in one-point games.
This was the first meeting between the two schools.
Rice is back in action next Monday night against South Alabama at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Team Stats
NCA&T
Rice
FG%
.364
.377
3FG%
.214
.190
FT%
.739
.647
RB
43
37
TO
16
11
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballC
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