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(01/22/10 12:00am)
Last weekend, the women's basketball team faced what could only be called a do-or-die situation. If they lost their two key conference games, they would then slide to 0-4 in Conference USA, an unfortunate return to their earlier season form. If they pulled the games out, however, the Owls would be back in the hunt for conference tournament byes, which could enable them to make a late tournament run. Or they could split the games, earn their first conference win but remain in a muddled land of questions.
(01/15/10 12:00am)
Fighting plane delays, injuries and finals, the women's basketball team began playing up to its true potential over the holiday break. The women started shooting well, were dominant on the boards and played lock-down defense when they needed big stops. They ended last semester without a win; now, as the second semester begins, they have six, bringing them in sight of the .500 mark for the first time all season. The Owls (6-9, 0-2 Conference USA) received their first taste of victory at their own tournament right before break, knocking off the University of Texas Pan-American 71-57 with sophomore forward Jackie Stanley carrying the load of the team in a record-setting 36-point performance. The win on the opening day of the Gene Hackerman Invitational ended the worst start to a season in the program's history, and the win, it appears, resulted in a momentum shift for the downtrodden team.
(12/04/09 12:00am)
Not once in the 31-year history of women's basketball at Rice has victory been so elusive. After six failed attempts at a mark in the win column, the Owls have only a goose egg to show for their efforts. Whether it be foul trouble or poor outside shooting, weak interior defense or the lack of a transition game, the combination of factors that led to Rice's start have been numerous, obvious and hampering.
(12/04/09 12:00am)
This weekend the women's basketball team played in the Gene Hackerman Invitational held at Tudor Fieldhouse. They played their opening game against the University of Texas-Pan American Friday, then played Sam Houston State University in the championship on Friday.The Owls got off to a quick start Friday, quickly going up 6-0. Their fast start was hampered by sophomore point guard D'Frantz Smart's two reaching fouls in the first three minutes, placing her on the bench. UTPA hit some clutch shots from beyond the three-point line, but Rice countered with strong post play from sophomore forward Jackie Stanley. Stanley gave the Owls second chance looks. Personal fouls continued to be a problem for Rice as the Broncos had reached the penalty bonus with eight minutes left in the half.
(11/20/09 12:00am)
The women's basketball team started their season like they finished their last one - with a pair of losses. The Owls (0-2) traveled to the University of Texas-Arlington last Friday and Texas A&M University Wednesday to open their season, but found that the expected meshing of their youthful squad was not going to come about as easily as anticipated. Last season, the women fell to UTA (2-1) by a five-point margin in a game where then-freshman guard D'Frantz Smart was one assist and two rebounds short of a triple double. This time around, the Owls came out of the locker room shooting ice cold, making just 29 percent from the field and 13 percent from behind the three-point line in the first half. They were down by nine points, 38-29, going into the halftime break.
(11/20/09 12:00am)
The Women's basketball team faced off against the University of Arkansas - Little Rock tonight at Tudor Fieldhouse. The women entered the contest 0-3, while UALR was 2-1.The Owls started off slow, calling a timeout in the first few minutes as the Trojans went up 9-4. The Owls rebounded after the timeout, going on a 13-2 scoring run. The Owls caught fire from three-point land in the first half, shooting 50 percent to finish out the half. The ladies went into the half up 28-25. Sophomore Guard D'Frantz Smart lead the team with five points in the first period, while several others had scored as well.
(11/13/09 12:00am)
After last season's hardships, this fresh season gives the women's basketball team the opportunity to redeem themselves. During what many would label as a rebuilding season, the Owls are hoping to reap the riches of their hard work on the hardwood and turn that into success for the upcoming season. Rice is a particularly young team inside Conference USA and will need everyone, including a glut of sophomores, to fill the leadership void on the floor. Any team member with experience has the knowledge necessary to mentor and develop the several young players, or so the idea goes.
(11/06/09 12:00am)
If only the ball had bounced a few more inches to the right. If only the ball had slowed down a split-second. If only that tight game has gone the other way. If only the women's soccer team hadn't played a season full of "if only" finishes, its season wouldn't already have ended. It was only toward the end of the year that the women started playing with the heart and determination necessary to forget these scenarios and finally obtain the wins they had just missed during the bulk of the season.
(10/30/09 12:00am)
If the soccer team had played as well in the first part of the year as they did this weekend, they might be resting their starters in the season finale in preparation for a deep playoff run. Instead, the team's play over the last weekend has resulted in little more than consolation for a team that has struggled and stumbled through a season of coming up just short. On Friday, the Owls (6-10-3, 3-6-1 Conference USA) traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., to take on Colorado College in the frigid, low-20's contest. Rice persevered through a pair of overtimes to take the Tigers (11-5-2, 7-2-1 C-USA) to a 0-0 draw. With this shutout, the Rice defense had gone 220 straight minutes without giving up a goal.
(10/23/09 12:00am)
Apparently, all it took for the soccer team to blow past weeks of frustrating 1-0 losses was the unfortunate promise of a lack of postseason. After being eliminated from contention two weeks ago, the Owls (4-10-2, 2-6-0 Conference USA) started to win the tightly contested contests that dogged them in the past. Over the last 14 days, the team went 2-2, scoring a total of six goals to match their total over the previous nine games. The stretch saw them play four straight home games, including a nationally televised game on Sunday, Oct. 11, against conference powerhouse University of Memphis (11-5-0, 6-2-0 C-USA), which Rice won in impressive fashion 2-1. Junior midfielder Kate Edwards scored a pair of goals, giving her three for the season, enough to claim victory over Conference USA's third-best team.
(10/09/09 12:00am)
What do you tell a team that, after a pair of weekend defeats, now has seven 1-0 losses? What do you say to a team that was eliminated from postseason play after losing their fourth straight conference game? What do you say? What can you say?
(10/02/09 12:00am)
In the sports world, inches define everything. A putt can miss the hole, a football can fall short of the goal line or a soccer ball can nail the crossbar and miss moving the game into overtime, all by inches. The soccer team played two of their best games this weekend, but the score told a different story, a story of inches and of the minuteness with which games can be lost. The Owls (2-6-2, 0-2 C-USA) fell first to East Carolina University Friday night by a score of 1-0. They then traveled to Marshall University and, in a nauseating sense of déj? vu, lost 1-0.
(09/25/09 12:00am)
The stars were aligned, the signs pointed to "yes" and the wind was blowing in the right direction last weekend because, for the first time this season, the women's soccer team played to its full potential. Unfortunately, their best still could not earn the Owls (2-4-2) a win.
(09/18/09 12:00am)
Only in the sports world can you have your best performance one night and leave slightly disappointed, then give a sub-par performance a few days later but leave the field perfectly content. This is exactly what happened to Rice's soccer team this week. The Owls (2-4-1) suffered a demoralizing defeat Friday night against Oklahoma State University, only to rebound and experience the thrill of a Sunday afternoon victory against the University of Texas at San Antonio.
