Rice WBB outrace Wildcats, lose to Horned Frogs over weekend

Fifth year senior guard Destiny Jackson drives in the Owls’ season-opener against Houston Christian University. The Owls went 1-1 this weekend to move their record to 2-1 on the season. Kathleen ortiz / Thresher

By Kathleen Ortiz 11/14/23 11:11pm

Rice Women’s Basketball is now 2-1 following two road games this past week against Abilene Christian University and Texas Christian University. The Owls defeated ACU 69-58 Thursday evening in a game where the Owls maintained the lead over the Wildcats for the entire 40 minutes of the game. However, the Owls’ early undefeated start to the season ended on Sunday when they were defeated 67-42 by TCU. The loss to the Horned Frogs also broke the Owls’ 13-game win streak against non-conference opponents, which dated back to the 2021-22 season.

Despite a strong start in the first quarter of their game against ACU, the Wildcats cut the lead to just two in the second quarter after a 7-0 run. The Owls built up their lead throughout the second half, but again let up a Wildcat run that pulled them back to within five points. According to head coach Lindsay Edmonds, the team kept their composure and fought back against the ensuing ACU runs.

“I thought our players came in here and showed toughness and showed togetherness,” Edmonds said.

The Owls held off the Wildcats in the last few minutes of the game and pulled away for an 11 point victory and bringing the program up to 4-0 against ACU all-time. Edmonds attributed the win to the team’s belief in each other.

“There were a lot of people here pulling against us, but all it took was the 15 that we have and my staff to believe in one another and come out here and play hard, play tough and play together for 40 minutes,” Edmonds said. “We got a great road win here because of it.”

Leading the Owls in points against ACU were junior forward Malia Fisher and sophomore guard Dominique Ennis with 13 points each and sophomore guard Jazzy Owens-Barnett with 12 points. Overall, the Owls made 46% of their shots from the floor and 30% from three-point range.

Following the ACU game, Rice went to play another road game on Nov. 12 in Fort Worth against TCU. Last season the Owls beat TCU 68-58 during their historic 9-0 preseason. However, they lost the chance of having another undefeated preseason after a 67-42 loss to TCU on Sunday.

“Winning on the road is hard,” said Edmonds of their first road game. “Coming on the road and coming into someone else’s arena and getting a road win is really, really tough.”

While the Owls exhibited another strong first quarter, only finishing one point behind the Horned Frogs, the gap increased to 17 points by the end of the first half, a deficit that they were not able to overcome for the rest of the game.

The team made 25.4% of their shots from the floor against TCU and just 14.3% from three-point range. Leading the team in points was Ennis again with 11 points, three rebounds and one assist. After a first quarter ending with Rice trailing by one, TCU pulled away in the second with the score being 35-18 at the half. The Owls fought to close the gap, but TCU finished the third quarter ahead by 18 points and then ended the game ahead by 25 points.

The loss to TCU was the team’s first game against a Power 5 school. The Owls’ next game Thursday, Nov. 16 will be another opportunity to get a Power 5 win when they host the Georgia Institute of Technology.