HOUSTON – Leading by four going into halftime, Rice used a huge second half to post an 83-54 victory over HBU in the season opener Wednesday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Sophomore center Abbey Sutherland led HBU (0-1) with 15 points, three blocks and three steals, while sophomore forward N'Denasija Collins had 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. Senior forward Patience Idoko added eight points and five rebounds, while junior guard Anna Maguire and junior guard Julija Vujakovic had seven points each. The Huskies shot 31 percent from the field, but only made 7-of-18 free throws.

Rice (1-0) was led by Nancy Mulkey with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Katelyn Crosthwait and Arianna McCurry each added 12 points, with Haylee Swayze right behind them with 11 points and five rebounds. The Owls outrebounded the Huskies, 54-35, and scored 18 second chance points. Rice's defense forced 16 turnovers, leading to 21 points.

The Huskies finished the first period strong after a slow start, coming back to take a 17-16 lead, after 3-pointers from sophomore guard Kennedy Wilson, Sutherland and Vujakovic. With back-and-forth scoring from both teams, the Owls made a push at the end of the second to gain a 30-26 lead going into halftime. Collins led the first half scoring with seven points, while Idoko and Vujakovic added five points each.

Rice took control with a 16-0 run that extended its lead to 75-44 with 2:55 remaining in the game and wound up outscoring HBU, 53-28, in the second half.

The Huskies will travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech on Saturday at 2 p.m.