HOUSTON – Rice hit eight more 3-pointers than HBU, nearly accounting for the Owl's final margin of victory, in for a 79-53 decision in the non-conference women's basketball crosstown rivalry Saturday afternoon at Sharp Gym.
Freshman forward
Lauren Calver led HBU (0-3) with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Sophomore center
Veronika Kirienko posted career highs of nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while freshman forward
Taylor Kollmorgen added seven points and 10 boards. Sophomore guard
Bria Johnson also finished with seven points for the Huskies.
Four Owls (2-1) scored in double figures, led by 13 from Wendy Kinght, who hit 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Kendall Ellig had 12 points and led Rice with eight rebounds off the bench, while Maya Hawkins connected on 3-of-9 from deep to finish with 12 points. Jasmine Goodwine chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds, while Nicole Iademarco made a pair of threes to finish with nine points.
Rice shot 38.6 percent from the field for the game, but shot 42.3 percent (11-for-26) from 3-point range, and went 14-for-24 from the free-throw line. HBU shot 29.5 percent from the floor, 23.1 percent (3-for-13) from long distance, and 14-of-17 from the stripe. The Owls held a slight advantage in rebounds, 47-46, but forced 19 Husky turnovers and committing 13.
The Owls were hot early, making 6-of-10 threes, in the first quarter. A four-point play by Knight with 57 second left in the period put Rice ahead 31-10. The Huskies clamped down on defense, holding the Owls to 1-of-7 from deep in the second, but could not muster enough offense to counter as the teams each scored nine points in the period and Rice took a 40-21 lead into halftime.
Rice built its lead to as many as 31, the last time at 63-31, with 1:00 remaining in the third, before Calver made a layup and Johnson hit a jumper at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 27. The Huskies outscored the Owls, 7-1, to open the fourth and complete a 13-1 run, and cut Rice's lead to 20 at 64-44. HBU was held scoreless for nearly two-and-a-half minutes as Rice went back ahead by 25 with just over three minutes remaining on the clock.
The Huskies continue their homestand against Southwestern Assemblies of God Wednesday at 7 p.m., before closing it out with Oral Roberts Saturday at 2 p.m.
