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February 8, 2008 > Sports > Winless weekend worsens women’s basketball’s woeful season

Winless weekend worsens women’s basketball’s woeful season

By Justin Hudson | Thresher staff

The women’s basketball team was unable to close the first half of Conference USA play on a high note last weekend, dropping a pair of games to the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the University of Memphis.

But even though Rice (8-14, 1-7 C-USA) is tied for last in the conference, help is on the way. Senior center Valeriya Berezhynska, who has been out since early January with an ankle injury, returned last night when the Owls took on Southern Methodist University at Sharp Gym on the campus of Houston Baptist University. Berezhynska is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, and her presence will benefit a team that is last in offense during conference season.

Rice will complete its homestand tomorrow as it hosts the University of Tulsa at 2 p.m. in Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus. The Golden Hurricane (9-12, 5-3 C-USA) has one of the staunchest defenses in the conference, allowing a paltry 61.1 points per game.

For head coach Greg Williams (Hanszen ‘70), Berezhynska’s return will begin what he hopes will be a successful turnaround for the team.

“[We will] get Berezhynska back in, start getting our rotation down a little bit [and] hopefully we can have a strong second half and get ready for some kind of run in the [C-USA] tournament,” Williams said.

Last Friday in Birmingham, Ala., the Owls were unable to overcome early foul trouble and turnovers as they lost to UAB, 76-64. Two days later in Memphis, Tenn., Rice held the lead for most of the second half, but fell victim to a decisive 11-0 Tiger run down the stretch and lost 62-56.

The Owls started out their contest with UAB (10-11, 6-2 C-USA) in the worst possible way. First, senior point guard Kadie Riverin picked up her second foul just under four minutes into the first half. With sophomore point guard Shyrelle Horne out with a shoulder injury, Williams had no choice but to use two freshmen shooting guards, Brittany Hudson and Memri Carmon, at the point.

With two inexperienced guards running the offense, the Owls were forced into 13 turnovers during the half. The Blazers scored 18 points off turnovers and logged 26 points in the paint as Rice turnovers turned into easy UAB layups. The Blazers went on to shoot 64 percent in the half as they ran out to a 41-27 lead.

But even with the early struggles, the Owls shot 40 percent in the half thanks to freshman forward Morgan Mayse and senior forward Tiffany Loggins. Mayse ended the first half with seven points and seven rebounds, while Loggins tallied nine points on 4-6 shooting in a reserve role.

The UAB lead grew to as many as 22 in the second half, but Rice closed the gap during the last 10 minutes of the game. Riverin hit two free throws to start a 13-2 run that brought the Owls within 11 with about five minutes left. But Rice was not able to get any closer — UAB made 10 of its 12 free throw attempts during the final 5:03 to hold on for the win.

“We made a run in the second half and played hard all the way through, so [that] was an improvement,” Riverin said. “But we were just down too much to come back.”

Despite the loss, a few bright spots shone through. Mayse had career highs with 17 points and 13 rebounds en route to her second career double-double, and Riverin was able avoid foul trouble in the second half to score a game high 20 points on 6-8 shooting from the field. Riverin’s free throw at the 14:17 mark in the second half gave her 1,000 points for her career, making her one of only 14 Owls to achieve that mark.

Riverin then played the full 40 minutes two days later against Memphis in an attempt to give the Owls the offensive spark they needed. She again scored 20 points, this time on 8-16 shooting from the field. Loggins also had 15 points in her new role off the bench, and redshirt junior guard Maudess Fulton, who broke out of a shooting slump with a 4-9 night from the field and 10 points along with nine rebounds, helped lead the way for the Owls. The game was a back and forth affair throughout the first half and the beginning of the second, but with 8:01 remaining it looked as if the Owls gained a five-point lead and looked poised to run away with the game.

However, the Tigers came roaring back with a run that all but sealed the loss for the Owls. Jessica Hall scored seven straight points over the next 1:14 help the Tigers go on an 11-0 run that swung the momentum in the their favor. Twice within the last three minutes Rice cut the Memphis lead down to three points, but both times the Tigers responded with timely buckets. With 2:52 left, Memphis center Jessica Jackson hit a line drive 18-footer that stunned the Owls.

Despite the performances of Riverin, Loggins and Fulton, Rice struggled from the field against Memphis. The Owls shot 32 percent in both halves, and missed numerous scoring opportunities.

“It was a very winnable game [and] we’re disappointed that we lost,” Williams said. “We didn’t finish shots. We had some really good fast break opportunities [and] we attacked their press well — we just didn’t convert some easy buckets.”

End of article

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