Women falter against Mavs, Aggies as season commences
The women's basketball team started their season like they finished their last one - with a pair of losses. The Owls (0-2) traveled to the University of Texas-Arlington last Friday and Texas A&M University Wednesday to open their season, but found that the expected meshing of their youthful squad was not going to come about as easily as anticipated. Last season, the women fell to UTA (2-1) by a five-point margin in a game where then-freshman guard D'Frantz Smart was one assist and two rebounds short of a triple double. This time around, the Owls came out of the locker room shooting ice cold, making just 29 percent from the field and 13 percent from behind the three-point line in the first half. They were down by nine points, 38-29, going into the halftime break.
Starting the second half, however, the Owls found their shot, and baskets began coming more easily. They outscored the Mavericks from the field and behind the three-point line, finding themselves within nine points at halftime. However, the Owls were ultimately unable to compete with the Mavericks' 21 second-half free throws, losing by a score of 81-64.
"The first game is for learning," sophomore forward Jackie Stanley said. "We had a lot of players that have never played Division I ball before. It was a little bit of a wake-up call that we need to work harder."
Two freshmen led the team in minutes in their first games, guard Jessica Goswitz (38 minutes) and forward Lacey Neu (28 minutes). Both scored in the double digits in their collegiate debuts, with 12 and 10 points, respectively, and both also contributed on the boards, as Gowitz had five rebounds and Neu grabbed two.
Sophomore guard D'Frantz Smart scored 13 points, but was only played 19 minutes after stumbling into foul trouble. She eventually reached the maximum five personal fouls, and had to watch the remainder of the game from the bench.
Foul trouble proved common for the Owls, as they committed 28 personals to UTA's 15. Senior guard Tara Watts also had a disappointing night, as she was only able to contribute 11 minutes to the Owls' night before receiving her fifth personal.
Rice was also smashed on the boards for the night, losing the rebounding battle by 17. UTA junior forward Shalyn Martin pulled down 13 rebounds on her way to a double-double night.
If the Owls are to succeed this season, they need to match up with other teams in rebounding and to keep their players on the floor and out of foul trouble.
"Moving our feet is one of the big things we've been emphasizing," Associate Head Coach Carlos Quintero said. "It upsets the flow of the game when we have to go to our bench a little earlier than we would like."
Five days later, the Owls traveled to Texas A&M (2-0), who recently defeated national powerhouse Duke University, ranked 11th in the AP poll. The Owls met the same fate Wednesday, as the Aggies torched them to the tune of 86-50. Shooting troubles plagued the Owls yet again, as the team shot only 36 percent from the field. Additionally, Rice did not protect the ball well, losing 29 turnovers to Texas A&M's 11, and the team continued to draw the attention of the referees, picking up 26 team fouls. Foul trouble limited the playing time of both Stanley and Goswitz, who led the Owls in scoring with 10 points.
Rice will pay a visit to Stephen F. Austin University (3-0) today at 4:30 p.m. in search of their first win on the season.
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