Coach Lindsay Edmonds and Owl team member celebrate victory as they punch their ticket to the big dance. photo by Calvin Hickerson.
FORT WORTH – For the fourth time in program history, the Rice women’s basketball team is headed back to the big dance after defeating reigning champion, ninth-seeded East Carolina 61-41 in the AAC Championship game Wednesday night at Dickies Arena. Rice earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018-19 season.
Malia Fisher was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, while Fisher, Destiny Jackson and Sussy Ngulefac were all named to the All-Tournament team.
photo by Calvin Hickerson.
Ngulefac led the Owls with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a steal, while Emily Klaczek finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Fisher added 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Jackson rounded out the double-digit scorers for Rice with 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
photo by Calvin Hickerson.
As a team, Rice shot 21-of-55 (38.2%) from the floor and 10-of-18 (55.6%) from three-point range. The Owls were 9-of-12 (75.0%) from the free throw line. Rice forced 11 ECU turnovers, scoring 16 points off those rebounds, while out-rebounds the Pirates 43-29.
“I’m just really proud, said Coach Lindsay. We always break the season into three different seasons: non-conference, conference, and then tournament play. So, when we started tournament season, we started breaking down huddles with our left hand because it was closest to our hearts. I just feel like we played with so much heart, we played with so much toughness, we played with so much togetherness. It was just really special. We hung our hats on defense. We shared the basketball. But I just can’t get over how close this group is, on and off the floor, and that’s what makes us be so special. And Malia said it, we might have been a 10 seed on paper, but we never believed that we were. So, I think that’s why we had something to prove and we did it for four straight days, which is really, really hard to do. But they were relentless and they knew that they wanted it and they weren’t going to let anybody take that from them.”
Tournament MVP Malia Fisher eyeing basket over ECU player. photo by Calvin Hickerson
Klaczek and Jackson opened the scoring, with ECU responding with a layup. Ngulefac ignited a spark with back-to-back and-one conversions as Rice took a 10-3 lead. Up by nine points, Klaczek drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give the Owls an 18-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Ngulefac opened the second quarter with a score, before a 6-0 East Carolina run cut the deficit to 11 points. Fisher snapped the run with a three-pointer, followed by a layup. After a Pirate score, Klaczek hit another three as Rice took a 28-11 lead. After trading scores, Jazzy Owens-Barnett hit another Rice three as the Owls went up 16 points. With the lead at 14 points, Maya Bokunewicz beat the buzzer for Rice’s sixth three-pointer, taking a 34-17 halftime lead.
photo by Don Mooney
The three-pointers continued to fall for Rice as Fisher opened the third with a triple. After ECU cut the deficit down to 14 points, Klaczek was there to drill her fourth three-pointer of the game. Ngulefac continued to dominate the paint with back-to-back layups to give Rice a 46-27 lead. The Owls led 46-29 at the end of the third.
ECU opened the fourth with a 5-0 run before Ngulefac extended the Owls lead. The Pirates continued their run, getting within nine points, but Fisher had the response with a three-pointer. Jackson pushed the lead to 53-39 with a layup. Leading by 13 points, Owens-Barnett’s three-pointer pushed the lead to 57-41, as the Owls cruised their way to the AAC championship with a 61-41 win. This is Rice’s first NCAA Championship appearance since the 2018-19 season.