HOUSTON – The Rice women’s basketball team used a lights-out fourth quarter shooting display to put away Sam Houston 66-50 Wednesday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls move to 6-3 on the season, while the Bearkats see their four-game win streak snapped to fall to 5-2.
 
Dominique Ennis led the Owls with 13 points, five rebounds, a block and a steal, while Aniah Alexis added another 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Hailey Adams racked up the defensive stat line with six points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, four assists and a steal.
 
As a team, Rice shot 24-of-56 (42.9%) from the floor and 8-of-23 (34.8%) from three-point range. The Owls were 10-of-16 (62.5%) from the free throw line.

Postgame Reaction – Shelley Pennington and Friends Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
“It always feels good to protect home and defend the way we defended. I feel like we did a great job on the defensive end and held Sam Houston to one of their lowest totals for points for this year. They had been winning by quite a bit and scoring a lot of points so I’m really proud of our defensive effort. We are going to continue to climb and fight and continue to work on the offensive side of the basketball. That fourth quarter outing was what I expect from our team and I am excited to see that team show up more.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter   
A 5-0 Sam Houston run opened the game before Victoria Flores got Rice on the board with a triple. Hailey Adams and Aniah Alexis added back-to-back scores as the Owls took an early 7-5 lead. Rice trailed 15-9 at the end of the first.

Second Quarter

Alexis got the second quarter going with a jumper, with the Bearkats responding with their own basket. Down eight, Louann Battiston’s three-pointer brought the Owls within five points. Later down seven, Shelby Hayes opened a 9-0 Rice run, with an Ennis three and Flores score also contributing. Jordin Blackmon and Flores traded scores with Sam Houston to close the half, with the Owls holding a 28-25 lead.  

Third Quarter

Sam Houston grabbed a three-point lead before an Ennis jumper put Rice back on the board. Adams put the Owls back in front shortly after, with Alexis and Hayes pushing the lead to five points. Another Bearkat run put them up one, but Alexis responded with a steal and score to go back in front. Tied, Battiston’s jumper gave Rice a 41-39 lead at the end of the third.

Fourth Quarter

A free throw by Sam Houston opened the fourth, with an Ennis three-pointer following to push the lead to four. Up six, Battiston drilled a three to go up 49-40, forcing a timeout. A Bearkat score stopped the run, but Adams and a Mylee Guinn three followed to push the lead to 12 points. A Bearkat score cut the lead to 10 points, but Ennis hit another three to keep the lead in double digits. Myah Hazelton added a pair of scores, with Jordin Blackmon closing Rice’s scoring with a triple as the Owls claimed the victory.

 

Quick Notes

Adams set a career high with five blocks.

Sam Houston’s 50 points are the team’s second fewest so far this season.

The Owls committed 11 turnovers in the game, while Sam Houston’s defense entered first in the nation in turnovers forced (30 per game).

Sam Houston’s defense also ranked fifth in the nation in points allowed (49.5).

The Owls are now 23-7 all-time against the Bearkats.

UP NEXT   
The Owls host the reigning regular season champion of the Mountain West Conference, UNLV, Saturday afternoon.