HBU Huskies kick off 2020-2021 season against Rice Owls

File photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 23, 2020) The HBU Huskies women's basketball team kicks off their 2020-2021 schedule on Wednesday, November 25 against the Rice Owls. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST at Tudor Fieldhouse on the campus of Rice University.

The Huskies, who are picked 11th in the 13th member Southland Conference pre-season poll, have previously played the Owls four times, dating back to 2010.  In that year, they faced off on December 21, when Rice coming out on top by the score of 82-46 at Sharp Gymnasium. They next met on November 16, 2011 at Tudor Fieldhouse, with the Owls again coming out on top, 75-42. It would be five years until they played again. On November 19, 2016, Rice again came out on top, 79-53 at Sharp. The final meeting was November 18, 2017, with the Owls winning at home, 67-45.

The Huskies return eight letter winners from 2019-2020 including all five starters; Timia Jefferson, Julija Vujakovic,  Marilyn Nzoiwu,  Abbey Sutherland, and Kennedy Wilson. Also returning for the 2020-2021 season are Patience Idoko, N’Denasija Collins, and Megan Valdez-Crader. Newcomers include Anna Maguire, Enya Maguire, Linda Brueckner, Naomi Pierce, and Armani Reed.

The Huskies will again be led by head coach Donna Finnie, who is in her eighth season at the helm at HBU. She will be assisted by Becca Allison and Anna Strickland.

McNeese falls to Rice 81-50 in women's basketball

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (November 27, 2019) The McNeese State Cowgirls jumped out to a 19-12 lead after the first quarter, but could not contain the Rice Owls' comeback in the final three periods as the dropped a 81-50 non-conference match up to the Owls at the H&HP Complex in Lake Charles. McNeese took control of the game in the first period, with 10 of the points coming in the paint. It was a different matter in the second quarter with Rice outscoring McNeese 21-8, lead to the Owls' 33-27 lead at the half. Rice increased their lead in the third quarter, 25-7 in route to their third win of the season. The Cowgirls shot 53.3% (8-of-15) from the field in the first quarter, but could only manage 34.7% by the end of the game. They scored a scant eight points in the second quarter and seven in the third, as opposed to 21 and 25 for the Owls, respectively. They picked up their scoring with 16 points in the fourth quarter.

The Cowgirls were led by starting guard Regan Bolton (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Hammond, Louisiana) with 11 points and Damilota Balogun (Bossier Parish CC, Lagos, Nigeria) with nine rebounds. Rive had four players in double-figures; Erica Ogwumike (Cypress Woods HS, Cypress, Texas) and Haylee Swayze (Purcell HS, Purcell, Oklahoma)with 12 points and Lauren Schwartz (Larry A. Ryle HS, Union, Kentucky) and India Bellamy (Eagles Landing Christian Academy, McDonough, Georgia)  with 10 reach.

Last season, the Owls downed McNeese 93-65 at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston on November 11. Rice holds a 8-4 all-time series record against the Cowgirls. The last time McNeese downed Rice was a 61-53 victory an Lake Charles on November 25, 2015.

Rice Owls down UTRGV in 2nd round of WBI

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 19, 2017) The Rice Owls moved to the semifinals of the 2017 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) with a 73-63 win over the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros by the score of 73-63 at Tudor Fieldhouse on Sunday, March 19, 2017. They will face the winner of the Idaho vs. Eastern Washington game, which is to be played on Monday, March 20 in Cheney, Washington.

Senior Jasmine Goodwine tallied 23 points and 14 rebounds for her sixth career double-double. The Killeen, Texas native shot 9-of-16 from the field and 4-of 6 from the free throw line. Sophomore Lauren Grigsby added 24 points for the Owls while going 12-of-12 from the line. The Vaqueros were 20-of-65 from the field (31%) and 18-of-26 from the free throw line.

The win was the first time since the 1998-1999 season that the Owls have won two games in the post-season. Playing in the Women’s NIT, they downed Miami 65-58 and Baylor 82-20 before falling to Arkansas 76-70 in the third round.

Rice Owls fall to UTEP in hard-fought C-USA game

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 1, 2016) The Rice Owls outscored the UTEP Miners 16-10 in the third quarter, but were unable to keep the momentum going and dropped a 60-54 Conference USA game at Tudor Fieldhouse on the campus of Rice University on January 1, 2016. The Owls fell to 0-1 in conference play and 1-11 for the 2015-2016 season. The Miners went to 1-0 in conference and 10-1 for the season.

The Miners jumped out to a 26-21 lead at halftime by shooting 37% and shutting down the Rice offense. The Owls shot 22% with 13 of their points coming from Alyssa Lang, Jasmine Goodwine, and Shani Rainey. In the third quarter, the Owls capitalized on UTEP’s mistakes and took a 37-26 lead by the end of the period. Maya Hawkins went on a seven-point scoring streak as Rice tallied a 9-0 take the lead. However, that would not be enough as the Miners outscored the Owls 24-17 in the final quarter to take the win.

Rice head coach Tina Langley talked about the Owls’ effort in the post-game press conference with the media.

"We took some strides forward today. Obviously we still need to value the ball more and protect it when the game gets physical. We've got to continue to get better at building leads and just keep fighting."

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

Hawkins was 4-of-15 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line to tally her 16 points for the afternoon. Wendy Knight chipped in 11 points while Rainey pulled down eight rebounds. UTEP had three players scoring in double figures; with Starr Breedlove scoring 15, followed by Jenzel Nash with 12 and Sparkle Taylor added 10. Agata Dobrowolska pulled down seven rebounds to lead UTEP.

Next on tap for the Owls is a 2 p.m. CST C-USA game against UTSA, who are 4-7 for the season and 0-1 in conference play.

Rice downs Incarnate Word 72-57; Kuster moves to third on all-time scoring list

By Robert H Kelly

Photo by Robert Franklin/rlfphoto

Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 5, 2014) Leading by as much as 21 points at one point in the game, the Rice Owls went on to defeat the Incarnate Word Cardinals by the score of 72-57 in women’s basketball action in front of 393 fans at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas on Friday evening, January 3, 2014. 
 

The Owls had three players in double figures; Christal Porter with 17 points, followed by Jasmine Goodwine with 16 points and Jessica Kuster with 13 points.

With her 13 points, Kuster (shown right) moved into third place in team career points with 1,712.

She is now only 79 points away from second place on the list, which is currently held by Holly Jones, who played for Rice from 1984 to 1988, and scored 1,791 points during her tenure.

The Owls were never really threatened by the Cardinals, who were ahead by two points 30 seconds into the game.

After that, Rice did not relinquish the lead the rest of the game.

Kuster also tallied 13 rebounds to lead all players.

The Owls shot 45% (29-of-64) from the field and 93% (14-of-15) from the free throw line.

For the Cardinals, Rose Whitehead scored 20 points, followed by Joslinn Douglas with 17 and Ifunanya Mora with 11.

Kosisio Mora led the Cardinals with eight rebounds.

With the win, the Owls moved to 7-6 for the season and will begin Conference USA play on January 8 when they travel to Miami to take in Florida International with a 6 p.m. ET start.

They return to Tutor Fieldhouse on January 15 where they will face Louisiana Tech in a 7 p.m. CT matchup.

Missouri State Beats Rice 76-65 in WNIT

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI (March 11, 2011) The Rice Owls played hard and hustled but it was not enough, as Missouri State defeated Rice 76-65 in the Women?s National Invitational Tournament at the JQH Arena in front of 1,459 fans. The Owls end their season at 18-14, while the Lady Bears improve to 24-10. Rice?s Jessica Kuster posted her 13th double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

It was the Owls 10th post-season appearance and seventh in the WNIT. It was also the third WNIT appearance for the program under head coach Greg Williams.

Also in double-digits for Rice was sophomore guard Jessica Goswitz with 13 points and Morgan Mayse with 12 points. Mayse also had 6 rebounds and D?Frantz Smart scored 8 points.

The Lady Bears received 18 points from Casey Garrison, while Whitney Edie and Lacey Bosche scored 13 points each and Christiana Shorter added 12 points. Garrison also had 9 assists and 8 rebounds.

It was a tight game in the first half with both teams trading baskets. Morgan Mayse hit a jumper and a long trey to tie the game at 14. The Owls then recaptured the lead (20-18) when Mayse once again drained a three-pointer and Elliott scored on a driving lay up. Rice went up five (25-20) on a jumper by Amenemope McKinney with the one tick on the shot clock and a three-pointer by D?Frantz Smart on the left wing.

The Owls were up 34-30 (2:37) after Kuster canned her fourth basket, a jumper near the top-of-the-key. The Lady Bears then closed the half on a 7-0 run to forge a 37-30 half-time lead. Rice made 5-9 from three-point for 55.6 percent and shot 40.6 overall (13-32). Missouri State shot 50 percent from the field (16-32) and was 0-4 from three-point range.

The Lady Bears opened the second half on an 8-2 run for a 45-36 lead. A free throw by Memri Carmon and a trey by Carmon brought the Owls back to 45-40. A trey by Elliott brought Rice to within two at 58-56. Missouri State then countered with a basket down low and a three-pointer from the left wing. Goswitz made two free throws and three-pointer to bring the Owls close once again at 63-61 (3:48), but the Lady Bears went on a 13-4 run for the final 76-65 margin.

The Owls only shot 30.3 percent (10-33) and 3-11 (27.3 percent) from three-point range in the second-half. Rice finished at 35.4 percent overall from the field. Missouri State finished at 46 percent (29-63) after making 13-31 in the second-half (41.9 percent).

Rice Wins Johnny Morriss Invitational

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 5, 2009) The Rice men’s cross country team won the Johnny Morriss Invitational hosted by the University of Houston with three Owls placing in the top 10 for a total of 31 points. Houston followed with 43, Sam Houston State was third (58), and Houston Baptist was fourth with 81 points.

“I thought our team ran a nice, solid pace,” said Rice head coach Jon Warren. “Our runners followed the race plan and today’s effort will certainly benefit us in future meets this season.”

Rice was led by Michael Trejo’s third place finish. He covered the 4800m course in 15:41. Gabe Cuadra was sixth (15:47), and Scott Zivick was eighth (15:54).

Other Owl finishers were Matt Carey in 12th (15:59), James Llamas (16:06) placed 14th, and Greg King (16:43) finished 27th.

Kazemi Shines at World Championships

Rice signee averages double-double at international competition

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 8, 2009) Serving as captain for Iran's FIBA Under 19 World Championship team, Rice University basketball signee Arsalan Kazemi averaged 16.6 points and 12.2 rebounds during five games at the championship being played in Auckland, New Zealand.

Iran closed out competition at the world championship on Tuesday with a 93-53 win over Syria. Kazemi scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had four steals in the victory.
Iran went 1-4 in preliminary round and consolation play at the tournament. The world championship continues through Sunday.

Through Tuesday's games, Kazemi was leading the tournament with his 20 steals (4.0 pg). His 12.2 rebounds per game ranks second among players at the tournament. His scoring, blocked shot and free throw shooting numbers also rank among the top 10 at the tournament which features the top teen basketball players from throughout the world.

In addition to averaging a double-double, Kazemi averaged 3.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, shot 81.6 percent from the line and 48.1 percent from the field in five games.

Kazemi's 20 rebounds against Angola ties for a world championship game high this summer while his 19 boards against Egypt ranks third among tournament performances. He had a tournament-high seven steals in Iran?s loss to Team USA in preliminary round play.

Kazemi, a native of Esfahan, Iran, is one of five incoming Rice University freshmen who make up one of Conference USA's top signing classes.

Holland Signs With Owls

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 21, 2009) After signing a pair of power forwards, a wing player and a combo guard during last November’s early signing period, Rice University rounded out its signing class Wednesday when the Owls inked 6-2 point guard A.J. Holland.

Holland prepped at Paul W. Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he averaged 12 points, five rebounds and five assists as a senior. He also led the Stampede with 71 steals and 41 three-pointers made. Named his high school team’s captain, Holland also received the school’s top perimeter player award as a senior.

“A.J. is the consummate team player,” said Rice coach Ben Braun. “He is like a coach on the floor and he makes his teammates better.”

Among others, Holland was recruited by South Florida, Southern Cal, William & Mary, Air Force, San Diego and Boston University.

Holland was an honor roll student at Paul W. Bryant High School where he was a school Ambassador as well as a member of Key Club.

He is the son of a coach. His father, James Holland, has been a collegiate coach since the mid-1980s and has been a member of coaching staffs at South Carolina, Georgia, UTEP and Alabama.

Holland joins a signing class at Rice which includes 6-7 power forward Egheosa Edomwony (Princeton, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton), 6-5 wing Chris Eversley (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep), 6-8 power forward Arsalan Kazemi (Isfahan, Iran/The Patterson School) and 6-2 combo guard Tamir Jackson (Paterson, N.J./St. Benedict’s Prep).

“I feel our first recruiting class has excellent balance and diversity which should help us considerably next year,” Braun said. “In addition to being solid basketball players, this is also a class of outstanding young men. They will fit in very well at Rice.”

Rice's Perka Named to C-USA All-Academic Team

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 6, 2009) Rice University senior forward Aleks Perka has been named to the 2009 Conference USA Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team.

Three of the five members of the all-academic team will be in action Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse as Rice plays host to Tulsa. Golden Hurricane senior Sam Mitchell and red-shirt freshman Steven Idlet were also named to the team. Tip-off for the Tulsa/Rice game is 3 p.m.

Rounding out the squad are Houston’s Sean Coleman and Adam Williams of Marshall.

As a senior, Perka’s season statistics more than doubled his previous career scoring and rebounding averages. A sports management major with a 3.09 grade point average, Perka is averaging 6.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season.

Earlier this year, Perka posted a career-high 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds in the Owls’ win over East Carolina. That performance came during a week in which he averaged 18 points and made 73.9 percent of his shots from the field.

Last summer, Perka served as the marketing intern at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston where his duties included gathering information about the visitors to the facility’s horse track and concert venue.

All five student-athletes will be in action with their respective teams at the 2009 Conference USA Men’s Basketball Championship, March 11-14 at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.

Watts Selected to C-USA All-Academic Team

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 3, 2009) Rice University women's basketball player Tara Watts, from Surrey, British Columbia, has been selected to the five-member 2009 Conference USA All-Academic Team for the second consecutive time. The junior guard owns a 3.42 GPA with a double-major in psychology and pre-medicine. She leads Rice in three-pointers made with 38.

The all-academic team consists of student-athletes who have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and are a starter or key reserve on the basketball team.

Rice begins post-season action on Thursday, March 5 when it plays UCF 5 at the Conference USA Championship in New Orleans, La. Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. at Tulane's Fogelman Arena.

2009 Conference USA Women's Basketball All-Academic Team
Name, Schoo / Class / GPA / MAJOR
*Tara Watts, Rice / Junior / 3.42 / Psychology/Pre-Medicine
**Kendra Reed, Southern Miss / Senior / 3.44 / Biological Science
Ashley Langford, Tulane / Senior / 3.26 / Business Management/Marketing
Megan Valicevic, Tulane / Senior / 3.60 / Digital Graphic Design
Amanda Peterson, UAB / Sophomore / 3.76 / Exercise Science

*Repeat Selection

Owls Travel to UCF For Midweek Game

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 24, 2009) Rice begins the final two weeks of the regular season Wednesday when the Owls take on UCF in Orlando. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast by ESPN 97.5 the Ticket in Houston.

The Owls are coming off their second, three-point loss in as many road games,falling at SMU 69-66 last Saturday. Rice also dropped a 91-88 overtime decision at EastCarolina the previous week.

Rice has now lost its last three to drop to 8-18 overall and 3-9 in Conference USA play.

If the conference season ended today, Rice would face UCF in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament in a meeting of the No. 6 and No. 11 seeds. But a lot can happen in the final two weeks of the regular season before the C-USA tournament which is set for March 11-14 in Memphis, Tenn.

The Knights, 16-6 and 6-6, have lost junior forward Tony Davis who last week was suspended for the remainder of the season. In a 77-52 win over Rice earlier in the year, Davis scored 17 points, going 7-for-11 from the field, and pulled down 12 rebounds. He started 20 of the 22 games in which he appeared this season and was averaging 9.8 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds.

While UCF has lost Davis, the Knights return the nation’s fourth-leading scorer in Jermaine Taylor. The senior is averaging 25.3 points per game after scoring 35 points in last week’s 77-72 loss at Houston. Prior to the UH game, Taylor averaged 36.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in a pair of games en route to the previous week’s Conference USA Player of the Week award.

Led by freshman A.J. Rompza’s 5.04 assists per game (third in C-USA), UCF leads Conference USA in assists, averaging 15.85 per game (412 total).

While Rice has seen improved play over the past month, the Owls have struggled on the boards. Over the last six games, Rice has a -5.2 rebounding margin. The Owls will look for a better performance on the glass this time around against the Knights who have a +2.8 rebounding margin to rank third in C-USA.

UCF outrebounded Rice 39-24 back in January. The Knights scored 12, second-chance points to the Owls’ one while grabbing 11 offensive boards.

League opponents are averaging 13 offensive rebounds against Rice this season.

Rice will benefit from the return of senior forward Aleks Perka who missed two games with a sprained ankle before coming off the bench to score 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting against SMU. He also had four rebounds and two assists in the game.

Rodney Foster averages 12 points a game to lead Rice in scoring. He leads Conference USA in both three-point shooting (.443) and free throw percentage (.870).

Following Wednesday’s game at UCF, Rice returns home to play host to Houston Saturday in Tudor Fieldhouse. Tip-off for Saturday’s game is 3 p.m.

Hot Shooting Owls Down USM, 88-72

HOUSTON, TEXAS (fEBRUARY 11, 2009) Rice freshman Connor Frizzelle paced Rice with 24 points and the Owls set a school record with 16 three-pointers in an 88-72 win over Southern Miss Wednesday at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Frizzelle was 6-for-9 from three-point range and also had four assists in 38 minutes of play. Rodney Foster, who finished with 20 points and Cory Pflieger who scored 18, each had five treys.

Rice shot 58 percent from the field and knocked down 67 percent of their three-point attempts including 8-of-9 from beyond the arc in the second half.

With the score tied at 12-12, Rice drilled three-point baskets on their next three possessions to build a 21-12 lead. Frizzelle made the first two and Pflieger added another from outside on a pass from Foster following an Aleks Perka offensive rebound. After a fastbreak layup by USM’s Courtney Beasley at the other end, Frizzelle knocked down another trey to give Rice a double-digit lead it only momentarily gave up in the second half.

The Owls led by as many as many as 17 points in the first half and 18 in the second period.

Southern Miss cut the Owls’ second-half lead to nine when Craig Craft scored inside at the 8:55 mark to make the score 62-53. At the other end, USM’s 6-5 guard Rodney McCauley picked up his fifth foul while guarding Rice center Trey Stanton. After the inbounds, Stanton got loose down low for an alley-oop dunk from Foster and Rice regained a double-digit lead for good.

The Golden Eagles’ leading scorer, Jeremy Wise, also fouled out of the game with 5:35 to play. Wise finished with 19 points and had two assists. R.L. Horton led USM with 23 points while Craft had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double.

With the win, Rice improved to 8-15 and 3-6 in Conference USA with its second straight home-court victory. The Owls travel to East Carolina looking for a sweep of the Pirates before playing host to UTEP next Wednesday.

Southern Miss is now 13-10 and 3-6. USM plays host to league leader Memphis on Saturday.

Owls Begin Second Half of League Play

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 10, 2009) Rice begins the second half of league play Wednesday when the Owls play host to Southern Miss in Tudor Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally in Houston on ESPN 97.5 The Ticket.

Following last Saturday’s 72-65 loss at Houston, the Owls will be playing for their second straight home-court victory. Rice defeated East Carolina 76-70 last time in Tudor Fieldhouse.

The Owls are 7-15 and 2-6 in Conference USA play.

Against ECU, Aleks Perka registered a career-high 21-point, 11-rebound game. At Houston last week fellow big man Trey Stanton picked up his first double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. It was the first time since prior to conference play last year Rice had players record double-doubles in back-to-back games.

For Stanton, the Houston game marked the second straight game he had registered a career, rebounding high. He had 10 boards against ECU a week prior to the Houston game.

Rice senior guard Rodney Foster is averaging 10.7 points a game and is coming off a 20-point night at Houston.

Southern Miss, 13-9 and 3-5, will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak this week. Two of the Golden Eagles’ last three losses have been by double figures, including a 66-49 setback at home against UAB last Saturday.

USM has four players scoring in double figures led by junior Jeremy Wise’s 15.8 scoring average and senior guard Courtney Beasley’s 15.6 points a game and team-leading 6.9 rebounds an outing. Wise is also averaging 4.91 assists per game (108 total) which ranks fourth in the league and his .849 free throw percentage ranks third behind Rice’s Connor Frizzelle and Foster.

Rice has had recent success taking care of the basketball and will look for that success to continue against a Southern Miss team which has a +3.09 turnover margin, which ranks third in the league. Last week at Houston, Rice turned the ball over just nine times. It was the second straight game Rice had single-figure turnovers.

Even though the Owls forced 12 UH turnovers in the game, Houston remains the league leader with a +5.71 turnover margin.

Owls Host Miners on Thursday

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 9, 2009) The Rice women's basketball team (5-18, 0-10) has four straight home games in Tudor Fieldhouse beginning with UTEP on on Thurs., Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. Rice then plays Tulane on Sat., Feb. 14 at 2 p.m.

The Owls are 21-7 in the series vs. UTEP, but the Miners captured the season's first game 76-60 in El Paso, Texas. Tulane also won the first meeting this year 91-63 and now leads the series 10-9.

Quick Look at the Owls
Rice freshman D'Frantz Smart leads Rice in scoring (12.2 ppg), assists (86) and steals (50). Senior guard Maudess Fulton averages 10.3 ppg, while sophomore forward Morgan Mayse averages 8.5 ppg and 5.3 rebounds. Emery Carter leads Rice in rebounding at 6.0 rpg.

Previous Game
Cobilyn Hill scored a career-high 26 points in leading Houston past Rice 70-50 in a Conference USA game played at Hofheinz Pavilion on the U of H campus. Houston's Courtney Taylor posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Britney Scott scored 12 points and dished out 7 assists. Hill also pulled down 9 rebounds. The Owls were led in scoring by Morgan Mayse who scored 11 points off the bench in shooting 50 percent from the field. The Cougars began the contest by scoring the game's first 12 points and never looked back. Houston made 5-5 from the field in the first five minutes, conversely, the Owls went 0-6 to begin the game. Rice head coach Greg Williams switched to a trapping half-court zone mixed in with some full-court pressure to cut into the lead. The Owls were down 25-11, but the defensive pressure applied forced Houston into committing several miscues as Rice went on a 11-4 run. The score at the half was 33-23 in favor of the Cougars. It was 33-23 at the half. Houston started the second-half by outscoring Rice 15 to 8 pushing its lead to 15 (48 to 33). A bucket by Rice's Melissa Wittmayer brought the Owls to within 10 at 50-40, but the Cougars responded by outscoring the Owls 11 to 5 to put the game out of reach. For the game, Rice shot 31.7 percent from the field and totaled 31 rebounds. Houston shot 43.9 percent from the field and grabbed 49 rebounds, 12 of which were offensive.

Get Smart
D'Frantz Smart leads the Owls in scoring at 12.2 ppg (12th in C-USA) and she is the highest-scoring freshman in the league. Smart has led the Owls in scoring 8 times this season. She is sixth in C-USA in assists (4.53) and first in steals (2.63). She has scored 20 or more points in three games this year. She scored a team season-high 26 points vs. UT-Arlington, 22 vs. George Washington and 20 vs. UCLA. Smart dished out a Rice season-high 9 assists vs. UTA and she had 7 at Lafayette. She also leads the Owls in three-pointers made (32).

Carter Country
Emery Carter, hampered by injuries in each of the last two seasons, has started all 22 games this year. Carter leads Rice in rebounding at 6.1 rpg. The Arkansas native scored a season-high 12 points vs. Tenn.-Martin and had a season-high 12 boards vs. UTSA.

Elliott Starts
Freshman Megan Elliott, in her first career-start after scoring a career-high 17 points vs. Memphis, responded with 15 points and a career-high 8 rebounds vs. UAB. Elliott missed the first six games after winter break. She grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds at Tulsa.

Fulton 20-20
Maudess Fulton scored a season-high 20 points in wins over Tenn.-Martin and George Washington. Fulton is second on the team with a 10.3 scoring average. Fulton has now scored in double-digits 12 times this season. She scored a career-best 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting at UCLA last year.

Watts Happening Tara Watts has been in double-digit scoring five times this year. She poured in a season-high 20 points at Lafayette, while scoring 14 vs. George Washington, 13 vs. CS-Northridge, 10 at Hofstra, and 15 vs. Houston. She is second on the team with 27 made three-pointers.

McKinney First Career-Start
Amenemope McKinney made her first career-start in the game vs. UAB. McKinney posted 8 assists with only 1 turnover in 35 minutes of action. She scored a career-high 13 points vs. Memphis. The freshman made 3 of 5 field goals and 7 out of 8 at the free throw line.

This is 40
Megan Elliott and Shyrelle Horne played in all 40 minutes of action in the contest vs. Southern Miss.

Be Hyp
Brianna Hypolite, a freshman, scored a career-high 20 points at Tulsa. She made 6-11 field goals (3-6 3FGs) and 5-6 FTs in 25 minutes of action. She has been in double-digits four times this year.

Mayse de Ville
Morgan Mayse had 18 points and 7 rebounds to lead Rice at SMU and she scored a career-high 19 points vs. UCLA. She has been in double-digit scoring eight times this season.

Double Time
Melissa Wittmayer, sophomore, posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds at UTSA. She leads Rice with 29 blocks this season after blocking a career-high 5 shots at Tulsa. She played a career-high 20 minutes vs. Southern Miss and at Tulsa.

Ashford Career-Highs
Freshman post player Candace Ashford played a career-high 27 minutes vs. Houston. She responded with career-highs in points (9) and blocks (5).

Scoring over 70
Rice has put together an impressive 30-7 mark in the Greg Williams era when scoring over 70 points. Rice scored a season-high 78 points in the recent win over George Washington. The Owls also tallied 76 points in the season-opener against CS Northridge, 72 in the loss against UT-Arlington, and 76 in the overtime loss at Lafayette. The Owls surpassed the 70-point plateau five times last season.

Keeping Them Under 60
Over the last three seasons under head coach Greg Williams, Rice has notched a 35-5 record when holding its opponents to under 60 points. The Owls were 8-1 last season after winning 13 of 14 decisions in 2006-07.

Easy as A-B-C-D
This year's edition of Rice freshmen class is as easy to remember as A-B-C-D. Amenemope McKinney tallied a balanced 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game during her senior season at Bowie High School in Arlington. McKinney scored a career-high 12 points at Hofstra. Much heralded as the Texas 4-A Player of the Year, Brianna Hypolite eclipsed over 2,100 points, 1,500 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals over her career at Dickinson High School. Hypolite scored a career-high 17 vs. Furman and she tallied 15 at Tulane. Candace Ashford is Rice's newest edition to the post notching 9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks at Plano West High School. Ashford tallied six points and six rebounds over 26 minutes against Prairie View A&M (Nov. 19). She also knocked down a pair of critical free throws with the Owls down by 3 with 1:52 remaining. D'Frantz Smart was runner-up Miss Illinois basketball after helping Chicago's Whitney Young High School to the state championship. She averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

On-Campus Wins
In the Greg Williams era, Rice has racked up a 26-9 home record when playing on-campus. The Owls posted back-to-back 11-3 marks in 2006 and 2007. The 2008 campaign saw Rice play its "home" games on the campus of Houston Baptist due to renovations. The Owls returned on-campus for the first time in 20 months and recorded a 76-55 win over Cal State Northridge to open Tudor Fieldhouse.

Year Four in Conference USA
Since Rice joined Conference USA for the 2005-06 season, the Owls are the only program in the league to record multiple postseason bids under the current realignment.

Rice Takes on Houston Saturday

Rare double-header slated for Hofheinz Pavilion

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 5, 2009) Fresh off a 76-70 win over East Carolina and a break from midweek play, Rice travels across town Saturday to take on the University of Houston. The game is part of a rare double-header as the Rice and Houston women tip-off in Hofheinz Pavilion at 5 p.m. The men will play at 8 p.m.

The men’s game will be broadcast by ESPN 97.5 The Ticket. The women’s contest carried by KTRU-FM 91.7.

Both teams are coming off wins that ended each team’s longest losing streak of the year.

Rice, now 7-14 and 2-5, had lost four straight before Aleks Perka scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 76-70 win over East Carolina last Saturday. Aubrey Coleman scored 30 points as Houston went on the road to snap a three-game losing streak with a97-69 victory at UCF on Wednesday. The Cougars are now 13-7 and 4-3.

Coleman’s performance marked the fourth time in six games Houston had a player score 30+ points. The difference this time was Houston picked up a win. In the previous 30-point scoring nights, the Cougars were 0-3. Last Saturday, Coleman scored 35 points in the Cougars’ 83-68 loss at Memphis. Earlier in league play Kelvin Lewis scored 30 points in a loss at Southern Miss and a week later finished with 35 in Houston’s 96-90 overtime loss at Arizona.

Coleman and Lewis rank third and fourth, respectively, in scoring among Conference USA players.

Coleman is averaging 19.6 points and 8.0 rebounds. In Conference USA play his scoring average is 25.2 points. The junior also leads the league in steals averaging 2.47 per game. Lewis is averaging 19.5 points an outing.

As a team, Houston leads Conference USA in scoring, averaging 78.8 points per game and has a +11-point scoring margin. Rice is averaging 63.4 points and has been outscored by more than eight points a game.

Last week, Perka moved back into the starting lineup for the first time since early December. He responded by averaging 18 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 73.9 percent from the field in the Owls’ last two games.

Rice senior guard Rodney Foster’s status for last Saturday’s game against East Carolina was questionable. Earlier in the week he suffered a sprained ankle against Tulane. But Foster ended up starting against ECU and finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes of play. He is the only Rice player to currently average double-figure scoring, averaging 10.3 points an outing. Foster’s 4.10 assists per game (86 total) ranks seventh in Conference USA.

Houston has won the last four games against Rice and holds a 53-14 lead in the cross-town series which dates back to a 1972 game played in the Astrodome.

The Cougars swept a Conference USA series from Rice last year, posting a 69-60 win over the Owls in Reliant Arena then grabbing a 71-62 victory in Hofheinz Pavilion. UH has won the last three meetings played in Hofheinz Pavilion.

Foster’s six, three-point baskets last year at Houston remains a career high as he finished with 22 points.

Following Saturday’s game, Rice is back at home next Wednesday when it plays host to Southern Miss. Houston travels to SMU.

HOUSTON FENDS OFF THE OWLS TO WIN 66-56

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 4, 2009) Cobilyn Hill scored a game-high 18 points to lead Houston past a scrappy Rice squad 66-56 in a Conference USA game at Tudor Fieldhouse. Tara Watts led the Owls with 15 points.

The Owls were behind 36-29 when they went on a 13 to 6 run to knot the score at 42 on a Watts jumper from the right wing with 13:44 to play. But, the Cougars’ (14-7, 6-3) Hill then scored the next three baskets to give them breathing room. After a Rice bucket from Candace Ashford brought the Owls to within three (51-48) at the 7:29 mark, Houston then went on a 15 to 3 run to put the game away.

The first-half saw the Owls (5-17, 0-9) stay within six at the midway point despite shooting just 26.5 percent from the field. UH shot 45 percent as Britney Scott scored 12 of her 13 points in the first-half to lead all scorers heading into the break.

Rice’s Ashford played a career-high 27 minutes and scored a career-high 9 points and blocked a career-high 5 Cougar shots. Maudess Fulton also tallied 9 points, while Megan Elliott scored 7 points and pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds.

For the night, Rice shot 31.8 percent from the field to Houston’s 46.6 percent. UH

The two teams square off again this Saturday at Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus at 5 p.m. prior the Rice-UH men’s basketball game at 8 p.m.

Owls Clash With Pirates Saturday at 1 p.m.

Rice looks to snap four-game losing streak

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 30, 2009) Rice wraps up a week-long home stand and will look to snap a four-game losing streak Saturday as the Owls take on East Carolina in Tudor Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon. Tip-off for Saturday’s game is 1 p.m. and will be broadcast locally by ESPN 97.5 The Ticket.

Rice saw its losing streak go to four games as Tulane’s Kevin Sims beat the final horn with a driving layup to give the Green Wave a 61-59 win over the Owls Wednesday.

Rice is now 6-14 and 1-5 in Conference USA play

East Carolina, 10-9 and 2-4, has lost eight of its last 10 games. The Pirates won on the road at SMU a week ago, 80-74, but is coming off an 85-64 homecourt loss to Memphis earlier this week.

Rice senior guard Rodney Foster scored 11 points, had six assists and four rebounds before being sidelined with a sprained ankle with 13 minutes to play Wednesday against Tulane. Foster’s status for Saturday will be a game-time decision.

Foster is the only Rice player to be scoring in double figures. He is averaging 10.2 points per game. His 4.05 assists per game (81 total) ranks seventh in Conference USA.

Rice senior forward moved back into a starting role for the first time since early December and responded with a career-high equaling 15 points against Tulane earlier in the week. Perka made his first seven field goal attempts.

Three of East Carolina’s starters are averaging double figures, led by senior guard Sam Hinnant’s 15.2 points per game. Senior James Legan averages 12.8 oints while sophomore point guard Brock Young is averaging 10.9 points and leads Conference USA with an 8.16 assist average (155 total).

The other ECU player to be scoring in double figures is freshman Darrius Morrow who averages 10.2 points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds. Morrow has played in all 19 games and averages 27 minutes of playing time while coming off the bench in all but three games.

Legan is shooting 45.7 percent from three-point range (58-127) to lead Conference USA. As a team, ECU averages 8.37 treys per game which is also tops in C-USA.

Rice made five-of-9 three-pointers in Wednesday’s game to raise its three-point percentage to .368.

Rice ranks second in Conference USA in three-point percentage and fourth in the league in three-pointers made at 6.45 an outing.

While Rice is among the league leaders in three-point shooting, the team struggles with a .411 overall shooting percentage which ranks 11th in the league.

Tulane Buzzer-Beater Bites Owls

Perka matches career high in 61-59 loss

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 28, 2009) Kevin Sims drove baseline to baseline for a layup that beat the final horn as Tulane defeated Rice 61-59 Wednesday in Tudor Fieldhouse.

Tulane came back from a 39-25 halftime deficit to defeat the Owls, sweep a home-and-home Conference USA series and improve to 9-10 and 3-3 league play. Rice has now lost its last four in dropping to 6-14 and 1-5.

Sims’ game-winning basket came after teammate Robinson Louisme rebounded a missed free throw by Rice’s Aleks Perka and the Green Wave called timeout with five seconds to play.

Perka had tied the game at 59-59 with the first of two at the free throw line with six seconds on the clock. The Rice senior had made his first seven field goal attempts and equaled a career high with 15 points. He stepped to the free throw line with a chance to put the Owls in front after he went up for a shot in the paint and was fouled by Eric Vianney.

Rice didn’t make a field goal in nearly the last 10 minutes of the game. The Owls’ last lead came with over six minutes on the clock. Tulane’s Kris Richard gave Tulane a 54-53 lead with 6:05 to play when he converted a three-point play. He would make a pair of free throws to cap the Green Wave’s next possession and Tulane went on to lead by as many as five, 58-53.

Lawrence Ghoram then made five of seven free throws during a one stretch of time. He made the first of two free throw attempts to tie the game at 58-58 with 1:35 to play. Nate Schwarze rebounded Ghoram’s miss of the second shot but after a Rice timeout, Connor Frizzelle missed a jumper that would have given the Owls the lead.

The shot clock sounded as Richard rebounded the ball. He was able to get out in front of the Rice defense, driving the length of the court before being fouled by Perka with 21 seconds remaining. Richard made the first of two free throw attempts to put the Green Wave back out in front, 59-58.

To begin the game, Rice made eight of its first 10 field goal attempts and built as much as a 19-point lead in the opening half. Cory Pflieger and Bryan Beasley both made three-pointers during a 12-0 run that put the Owls out in front, 30-11 with 8:16 to play in the period.

Rice played the final 13 minutes of the game without senior guard Rodney Foster who sprained his ankle. In 20 minutes of action Foster had scored 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting, dished out six assists and pulled down four rebounds.

At the time of his injury, Rice was leading 48-40.

Richard came off the bench to score 17 points for Tulane. He also had six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sims scored 14 points while Louisme had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Rice returns to action Saturday when the Owls play host to East Carolina. Game time is set for 1 p.m. Tulane plays host to UCF on Saturday.

SOUTHERN MISS DEFEATS RICE 65-50

HOUSTON, TEXAS (Janaury 25, 2009) Southern Miss (12-7, 5-1) placed four players in double-figures en route to defeating Rice 65-50 in Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls (5-14, 0-6) were led in scoring by Megan Elliott (16 points) and Maudess Fulton (15 points). The Golden Eagles were led by Pauline Love’s 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Stephanie Helgeson and Andrea Barber each scored 15. Tanesha Washington added 10.

Southern Miss held an 11-point lead with 6:36 left in the first-half, but would not score a point until the second-half as Rice erupted for a 9-0 run that was ignited by a Melissa Wittmayer who blocked a shot on the defensive end and then scored down low on the ensuing possession.

Emery Carter scored on back-to-back trips, the first on a nice feed from Maudess Fulton, to bring the Owls to within one at 34-33 at 15:51. Helgeson then converted a three-point to give USM breathing room, which became the first three points of an 11-0 Golden Eagle run that quelched the Rice rally. Southern Miss eventually increased its lead to 19 (59 to 40) before the Owls scored the next eight points to make it 59-48.

The Owls now play at Tulsa on Thursday, Jan. 29 (7 p.m.) and at SMU on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.