Sunday, December 29
Houston, Texas
12 p.m.
Rice University
vs
South Florida
Rice Opens AAC Play on ESPN2 Against USF
12/28/2024 2:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Rice Owls (7-5, 0-0 AAC) vs. South Florida Bulls (7-6, 0-0 AAC)
Game 13 • Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 • 12:00 p.m. CT
Houston, Texas • Tudor Fieldhouse
Video Stream: Click Here
Radio Stream: Click Here
Statistics: Click Here
Tickets: Click Here
Social Media Updates: @RiceWBB
AAC Opener on ESPN2
The Owls are back at Tudor Fieldhouse to take on the preseason conference favorite South Florida in the AAC opener, which will be broadcasted on the national stage on ESPN2. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster or by calling (713) 348-OWLS (6957) for further assistance.
Last Time Out
Rice dropped the final non-conference game of the season in an 88-57 road defeat to No. 17 Georgia Tech Wednesday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion. Hailey Adams led the Owls with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Dominique Ennis added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Rice vs. South Florida
This is the fourth meeting in the all-time series, with the Owls holding a 2-1 edge. Rice swept the season series last season, with Coach Edmonds earning her 50th career win during the last meeting on the road in Tampa.
Conference Honors (12-16)
Aniah Alexis was named AAC Freshman of the Week after recording career highs with four assists and four steals to complement her seven points, two rebounds and one block against Texas Southern. Malia Fisher was named AAC Honorable Mention after finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds.
All-Conference Honors
Malia Fisher was named the 2024-25 AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team after leading the Owls to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. Fisher was an AAC Third Team selection and AAC All-Tournament MVP last season.
Preseason Polls
Rice was picked tied for second in the AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. South Florida was the preseason favorite (eight first-place votes), while North Texas (three votes) and Rice (two votes) were tied for second.
Playing Mid-Major Powers
Several opponents on Rice's schedule are ranked in the Women's Mid Major Top 25, with Gonzaga earning the top spot, South Dakota State (#7) and North Carolina A&T checking in at number 17.
Champions of the AAC
Rice debuted in the AAC as champions, winning four games in four days to claim the first-ever AAC title in Rice Athletics history. Led by AAC Third Team selection and All-Tournament MVP Malia Fisher, Rice took down East Carolina 61-41 to become the lowest seed (10) to ever win the AAC Tournament.
Year Four
Shelley Pennington and Friends Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds enters her fourth year at the helm for Rice. Through her first three seasons, Edmonds has achieved the most wins (56), became the first head coach to open their Rice WBB career with back-to-back-to-back winning seasons, and was the fastest coach to win a conference title in program history.
Fisher Reaches 1,000
Malia Fisher became the 26th athlete in program history to surpass 1,000 career points, doing so in the NCAA Tournament against LSU. Currently, Fisher ranks 21st all-time in points with 1,006. To reach the top 10 in points, Fisher will have to reach 1,329 points.
Kuster to be Inducted into CUSA Hall of Fame
Rice women's basketball all-time great Jessica Kuster is set to be inducted into the Conference USA Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. She is Rice basketball's all-time point scorer (2,081), while leading Rice WBB and CUSA in career rebounds (1,376) and career double-doubles (67). Kuster is the only athlete in program history to average a double-double in all four seasons, one of two female athletes in CUSA history. Kuster is also the only player in CUSA history to be named to both the First Team All-Conference and the All-Defensive Team all four seasons. She is also the only four-time recipient of the Hackerman Award in school history, presented to the team MVP. Kuster becomes the fifth Rice inductee and the first Rice women's basketball inductee in the CUSA Hall of Fame.
Non-Conference Schedule
Rice's non-conference schedule includes games against six postseason teams from last season, South Dakota State (NCAA), N.C. A&T (WNIT), at Gonzaga (NCAA), vs. BYU (WBIT), vs. Vermont (WNIT) and at Georgia Tech (WBIT). The Owls will see several local rivals coming to Tudor Fieldhouse with Houston, Sam Houston and Texas Southern all making the trip to South Main.
Game 13 • Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 • 12:00 p.m. CT
Houston, Texas • Tudor Fieldhouse
Video Stream: Click Here
Radio Stream: Click Here
Statistics: Click Here
Tickets: Click Here
Social Media Updates: @RiceWBB
AAC Opener on ESPN2
The Owls are back at Tudor Fieldhouse to take on the preseason conference favorite South Florida in the AAC opener, which will be broadcasted on the national stage on ESPN2. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster or by calling (713) 348-OWLS (6957) for further assistance.
Last Time Out
Rice dropped the final non-conference game of the season in an 88-57 road defeat to No. 17 Georgia Tech Wednesday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion. Hailey Adams led the Owls with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Dominique Ennis added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Rice vs. South Florida
This is the fourth meeting in the all-time series, with the Owls holding a 2-1 edge. Rice swept the season series last season, with Coach Edmonds earning her 50th career win during the last meeting on the road in Tampa.
Conference Honors (12-16)
Aniah Alexis was named AAC Freshman of the Week after recording career highs with four assists and four steals to complement her seven points, two rebounds and one block against Texas Southern. Malia Fisher was named AAC Honorable Mention after finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds.
All-Conference Honors
Malia Fisher was named the 2024-25 AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team after leading the Owls to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. Fisher was an AAC Third Team selection and AAC All-Tournament MVP last season.
Preseason Polls
Rice was picked tied for second in the AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. South Florida was the preseason favorite (eight first-place votes), while North Texas (three votes) and Rice (two votes) were tied for second.
Playing Mid-Major Powers
Several opponents on Rice's schedule are ranked in the Women's Mid Major Top 25, with Gonzaga earning the top spot, South Dakota State (#7) and North Carolina A&T checking in at number 17.
Champions of the AAC
Rice debuted in the AAC as champions, winning four games in four days to claim the first-ever AAC title in Rice Athletics history. Led by AAC Third Team selection and All-Tournament MVP Malia Fisher, Rice took down East Carolina 61-41 to become the lowest seed (10) to ever win the AAC Tournament.
Year Four
Shelley Pennington and Friends Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds enters her fourth year at the helm for Rice. Through her first three seasons, Edmonds has achieved the most wins (56), became the first head coach to open their Rice WBB career with back-to-back-to-back winning seasons, and was the fastest coach to win a conference title in program history.
Fisher Reaches 1,000
Malia Fisher became the 26th athlete in program history to surpass 1,000 career points, doing so in the NCAA Tournament against LSU. Currently, Fisher ranks 21st all-time in points with 1,006. To reach the top 10 in points, Fisher will have to reach 1,329 points.
Kuster to be Inducted into CUSA Hall of Fame
Rice women's basketball all-time great Jessica Kuster is set to be inducted into the Conference USA Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. She is Rice basketball's all-time point scorer (2,081), while leading Rice WBB and CUSA in career rebounds (1,376) and career double-doubles (67). Kuster is the only athlete in program history to average a double-double in all four seasons, one of two female athletes in CUSA history. Kuster is also the only player in CUSA history to be named to both the First Team All-Conference and the All-Defensive Team all four seasons. She is also the only four-time recipient of the Hackerman Award in school history, presented to the team MVP. Kuster becomes the fifth Rice inductee and the first Rice women's basketball inductee in the CUSA Hall of Fame.
Non-Conference Schedule
Rice's non-conference schedule includes games against six postseason teams from last season, South Dakota State (NCAA), N.C. A&T (WNIT), at Gonzaga (NCAA), vs. BYU (WBIT), vs. Vermont (WNIT) and at Georgia Tech (WBIT). The Owls will see several local rivals coming to Tudor Fieldhouse with Houston, Sam Houston and Texas Southern all making the trip to South Main.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09