HOUSTON – The UTSA women's basketball team (2-12, 0-2 C-USA) dropped a league road tilt at Rice (12-2, 2-0 C-USA) by a score of 83-52 on Sunday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Senior Crystal Chidomere paced the Roadrunners with 18 points, going 7 for 12 from the floor in the setback. Rice had five players scored in double figures, led by Nicole Iademarco's 21 points.
Turning Points
Fueled by a 3-pointer from senior Carlie Heineman, UTSA opened the game with a 4-2 lead and cushioned its advantage with seven points from Chidomere. Keeping it close the Owls rattled off a 9-1 run late in the first quarter to take a 17-13 edge to end the period. Exploding for 23 points in the second frame, Rice pushed to a double-digit lead, swelling their advantage to 40-25 at the half.
The Owls kept their double-digit lead through the second half, going up by as many as 36 in the fourth quarter before a spirited UTSA rally. Back-to-back layups from Kourtney Kekec and Billie Marlow sparked an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 80-52 before Rice's Gabrielle Stanton came up with a 3-pointer to end the game.
Inside The Numbers
- The Roadrunners shot 39.3 percent from the floor compared to a 50.0 percent mark for the Owls.
- UTSA finished 4-of-17 from 3-point range while the Owls went for 14-of-26.
- Rice held a 44-23 edge in rebounds, but UTSA out blocked the Owls, 6-2
- The Owls held a 6-5 edge in steals, led by two swipes from Erica Ogwumike.
- Rice finished with a 32-28 advantage in the paint and a 20-4 edge in second chance points
News and Notes
- Chidomere guided the Roadrunners with a career-high three blocks. The senior last recorded three blocks against UTEP on Jan. 17, 2016.
- Chidomere scored in double-figures for the seveth time during her senior season.
- The senior is four points away from scoring her 800th career point.
Up Next
The Roadrunners return home for a two-game stretch, beginning with Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Jan. 11. Tipoff against the Blue Raiders is set for 11 a.m.