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February 2, 2007 > Sports > Women’s basketball wins third-straight C-USA game

Women’s basketball wins third-straight C-USA game

By Justin Hudson | Thresher staff

With an improved offensive attack, the women’s basketball team easily won two important conference games last week. Last Thursday, Rice defeated Southern Methodist University 80-69, and Saturday the Owls blew out Tulsa University 83-65 in a rematch of last year’s C-USA championship game. Winners of their last three, the Owls have improved at the right time — they are now one game out of first place in the C-USA standings.

Tomorrow at 5 p.m., the Owls (12-9, 5-3 Conference USA) will host Tulane University (17-4, 6-2), a team tied for first and considered by many to be the best team in the conference. Rice played one of their better games of the season against Tulane Jan. 7 in New Orleans, overcoming the absence of senior forward Lauren Neaves in a 61-52 victory.

The wins over SMU and Tulsa were all the more impressive because the Owls were able to contain two of the best post players in the conference — SMU forward Janielle Dodds and Tulsa forward Jillian Robbins — without starting junior center Valeriya Berezhynska. Though Dodds had 24 points and 11 rebounds, senior forward Samantha Stovall’s defense helped to limit her touches in the second half, especially when Neaves was on the bench with foul trouble. Robbins, who was averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds heading into Saturday’s game, notched only eight points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes of play.

Senior guard Krystal Frazier and junior forward Tiffany Loggins sparked the Owl offense early against the Mustangs, leading a 12-0 run after Rice fell behind 10-4 to start the game. Frazier finished with 18 points while Loggins scored 14.

Rice maintained its lead throughout most of the first half, shooting 43 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the three-point line. However, poor free throw shooting and defensive breakdowns toward halftime kept the Mustangs in the game. While SMU shot 90 percent from the line, the Owls shot 56 percent. An 11-0 Mustang run gave SMU a 34-28 lead with 2:26 remaining in the half. Fortunately, the shots again started to fall for the Owls. Frazier’s three-pointer with 55 seconds left gave Rice a 35-34 lead heading into the half.

Head Coach Greg Williams switched to a man-to-man defense at halftime. This helped the Owls in the second half as they built a double-digit lead with Neaves out of the game. Frazier continued to make shots in the lane and from the outside, while Stovall, who struggled offensively in the first half, also made critical shots. Junior guard Kadie Riverin hit a jumper to extend the Owls lead to 58-47 with 10:21 left. Neaves reentered the game 20 seconds later, with the lead 58-49. The lead grew to 12 points before Neaves went out again with her fourth foul with 8:21 remaining.

Rice’s defense also helped to keep the usually high-scoring Mustangs off balance — SMU never got within six points of the Owls in the second half. Free throw shooting played a part, as well. A low point in the Owls’ Jan. 21 win over Houston, Rice made 18 of 23 attempts down the stretch to cement their 80-69 victory.

Faced with the limited roster and Neaves’ foul trouble, Stovall believed the win showed the depth and perserverence of the team.

“It tells us about our character in that we are deep and we are versatile,” Stovall said. “When we are faced with a challenge … all of just us have to step up.”

Every Owl starter scored in double-figures. Stovall had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Neaves had another double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds in only 25 minutes. Riverin scored 12. Freshman guard Tara Watts was the only bench player who scored, chipping in 8 points.

“We were patient at times when we had to be,” Williams said. “You get five [players] in double figures, that really shows that you’re really sharing the ball and you’re executing pretty well.”

After overcoming yet another slow start, Rice looked impressive for the first 15 minutes against Tulsa. The Owls built a 30-12 lead on the strength of their defense and free throw shooting. Rice scored 17 points off of turnovers in the first half alone, and Tulsa got into early foul trouble — the Golden Hurricane were in the penalty as they trailed 25-9 early in the half. Robbins left the game after picking up her third foul halfway through the first half; she would not return the rest of the half. Despite their hot start, the Owls ended up shooting only 33 percent from the field in the first half and only led 33-24 at halftime.

Rice’s offensive woes were quickly forgotten in the second half. The Owls shot a scorching 76 percent in the half, once again showcasing improved offensive flow. The Owls also increased the defensive intensity, which led to numerous baskets in transition. With improved efforts on both ends, Rice could not be stopped. The Owls opened the second half with a 24-4 run and led by as many as 29 points. The team’s swarming defense kept Robbins from being a factor in the second half. Tulsa’s pressure defense helped to create more lulls in the Owl offense, but superior play by Neaves, Riverin and Stovall stabilized the Owls as they cruised to an easy victory. Riverin, who shot 55 percent from the field and had 8 points from the line, ended the game with a season-high 19 points.

Neaves had another consistent performance with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Stovall ended the afternoon with a career-high 15 points on the strength of 6-6 free throw shooting.

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