HOUSTON - HCU women's basketball closes out its non-conference schedule this Saturday afternoon with an in-town game against the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m.

The Huskies (4-5) enter the contest coming off a conference road loss at Nicholls on Thursday evening. Saturday's matchup with the Owls (9-3) marks the team's third game against an American Athletic Conference opponent this year. HCU also faced Tulsa in mid-November and took on South Florida in Tampa on Dec. 5.

Through nine games, Houston Christian is averaging 70.1 points per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field to lead the Southland Conference. The Huskies are averaging 7.2 made three-pointers per game with a 33 percent team mark from beyond the arc to rank second in the league. Grace Booth and Kamryn McLaurin are both scoring better than 13 points per game, checking in at 13.4 and 13.1 ppg, respectively, while Jordan Jackson is adding 10.4 ppg.

Rice enters Saturday's game riding a four-game winning streak that includes a 71-47 win at Grambling this past Wednesday. The Owls are undefeated at home this season and average 68.3 points per game, holding opponents to 58.3 points per contest. Rice has been led offensively by Dominique Ennis at 12.3 ppg while Shelby Hayes is averaging 10.5 ppg. Hailey Adams paces the Owls on the boards with 10.5 rebounds per game. 

Saturday's meeting is the final game non-conference game before HCU returns home to close the calendar year. The Huskies host McNeese on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at Sharp Gym for a 2:00 p.m. New Year's Eve tilt.