HOUSTON, Texas – Raizel Guinto scored 16 points and Amber Dixon added 13 points but Louisiana Tech couldn't overcome a second half offensive drought as the Lady Techsters fell 64-53 to defending C-USA champion Rice at Tudor Fieldhouse Saturday.

Tech (13-9, 8-8 C-USA) led by as many as six points (23-17) midway through the second quarter before Rice (15-2, 11-1) used an 11-3 run to close the half. The Owls led 28-26 at the break.

However, for the second straight day, the third quarter was the turning point for the Lady Techsters who came out cold, hitting just 4-of-15 field goals during the stanza and watching Rice pushed the advantage out to as many as 12.

Rice led 45-33 after a three-pointer by Lauren Schwartz with less than five seconds to play before Guinto connected with a half-court heave at the buzzer to close the deficit down to nine entering the final period.

"We couldn't score in the third quarter," said Tech head coach Brooke Stoehr. "I thought we got some good looks, but they wouldn't go down. I thought we took much better shots today than we did yesterday. I thought we had some confidence, and I thought we battled. They were better offensively in the second half then we were. You can't shoot like we did on the road and expect to win very often."

Any chance of a Tech comeback was doused in the opening four minutes of the fourth quarter as the Owls used a 15-6 run to increase the lead to 60-42.

Rice shot 55 percent (26-47) from the field for the game, including 7-of-14 from the three-point line. The Owls connected on 21-of-39 three-pointers in the two-game series.

"I thought they were really good offensively this weekend," said Stoehr. "I thought we defended well. Each game there were a couple of breakdowns, and it seemed like every time they made us pay for them. Their kids made shots and sometimes that happens on the other team's home floor. You hope they miss. They didn't this weekend."

After hitting 12 of its first 24 shots of the game, the Lady Techsters made just nine of their final 33 shot attempts. In a game that saw very few fouls called on either team in the first three quarters Tech didn't attempt its first free throws until eight minutes to play in the game.

"Rice makes a lot of people look bad offensively," said Stoehr. "You look at their numbers and they rank right up there at the top all year long in defensive field goal percentage and scoring defense. That's what they do."

Schwartz led Tech with 19 points while Nancy Mulkey added 15 points and 12 rebounds and Jasmine Smith added 15 points.

"I thought jasmine Smith was really good all weekend," said Stoehr. "She goes 5-for-5 in the first half. Credit her. I thought she had a really, really solid weekend. She got a few open looks in the first half but she even hit some shots like that last one where (Monette Bolden) was all over her. It was a dagger."

Anna Larr Roberson added 10 points and nine rebounds for Tech.