The quarterfinals round of the 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Frisco takes place Thursday with four games are on the schedule. West Division Champion Rice opened the day with a 77-60 win over FIU and Old Dominion survived in double-overtime over Charlotte, 90-89. Middle Tennessee opened the second session with a 77-71 win over Louisiana Tech and UTEP edged Florida Atlantic, 74-67.
Schedule/Watch Links/Results/Box Scores/Team Information
Championship Central
Quarterfinal Round Game 1
Rice 77, FIU 60
FRISCO, Texas – Rice used a 24-7 third quarter to seize control of a close game and continue on to a 77-60 victory over FIU in a quarterfinal round game of the 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center.
Lauren Schwartz scored 13 of the 24 points in the decisive third quarter, going 5-of-6 from the field and making all three of her 3-point attempts. She finished the game with 27 points, establishing a new career high. Schwartz went 12-of-18 from the field and added four rebounds and three assists.
Sydey Wiggins joined Schwartz in hitting a trio of 3-pointers as Rice (18-3) set a school record for trifectas in a C-USA Championship game with 10. Wiggins finished with 15 points.
The Owls set a new C-USA Championship record for assists with 26. The previous record of 24 was set in 1997 and matched three times. Six different Rice players had at least three helpers, with Wiggins leading the way with six.
FIU (13-12) was led in scoring by Emerald Ekpiteta who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Fujika Nimmo had 16 and Kyla Nelson added 10.
Rice advances to play Old Dominion in Friday’s first semifinal at 5:30 p.m. The Owls won both regular season meetings in Norfolk in mid-January.
Quarterfinal Round Game 2
Old Dominion 90, Charlotte 89 (2ot)
FRISCO, Texas – If Old Dominion and Charlotte are playing each other it is best to allot some extra time. For the third time this season, the schools met each other and needed overtime to decide it. This time the Monarchs prevailed, 90-89 in double OT in a quarterfinal round game of the 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center.
The back and forth game would feature 12 ties and 22 lead changes. Old Dominion led for 23:01, Charlotte was in front for 21:38 and the teams spent 5:22 knotted up.
Ultimately, it would be a free throw by Ajah Wayne with .06 seconds remaining that would provide the winning point. That was the seventh point of the double-overtime period for Wayne, who finished with 23 points for the second straight day.
In the two overtimes, all of the Monarchs points were scored by Wayne and Amari Young. After scoring 16 points in regulation, Young piled up 15 more in the extra session to finish with a career high 31. She also pulled down 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Young has recorded double-digit rebounds in each game of the C-USA Championship, totaling 31.
Jada McMillian narrowly missed a triple-double for Charlotte (10-10). She scored a team-high 22 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds. The 10 assist tied her career high and the double-double was just the second of her career.
Octavia Jett-Wilson scored 20 points for the 49ers and C-USA Sixth Player of the Year Jazmin Harris came off the bench to score 19 points and grab nine boards.
ODU becomes just the second team in C-USA Championship history to win three games in three days to reach the semifinals. FIU accomplished the feat in 2014.
Old Dominion advances to play Rice in Friday’s first semifinal at 5:30 p.m. The Owls won both regular season meetings in Norfolk in mid-January.
Quarterfinal Round Game 3
Middle Tennessee 77, Louisiana Tech 71
FRISCO, Texas – In Middle Tennessee’s opening game in Frisco Anastasia Hayes showed why she was voted Conference USA Player of the Year, scoring 20 second half points and finishing with 34 to move the Blue Raiders past Louisiana Tech, 77-71 in a quarterfinal round game of the 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center.
Louisiana Tech held a 51-50 lead to start the fourth quarter, but Hayes keyed a 10-0 run to begin the final quarter, scoring seven of the 10 herself. She finished the fourth going 4-for-4 from the field and scoring 12 points.
The 34 point showing by Hayes marked the sixth time she scored 30 or more this season. She added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the victory.
Four other Blue Raiders reached double figures. Alexis Whittington scored 12, Courtney Whitson added 11 and Rellah Boothe and Aislynn Hayes each chipped in 10.
Raizel Guinto did her best to keep Louisiana Tech (14-10) in the game in the fourth quarter. She hit four 3-pointers and five free throws to account for 17 of the Lady Techsters 20 points in the final 10 minutes. Guinto finished with 22 points.
Anna Lara Roberson netted 18 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for LA Tech, while Keuinna Walker added 13 points.
Middle Tennessee moves on to play UTEP at 8:30 p.m. CT on Friday in semifinal action. The teams did not meet in the regular season.
Quarterfinal Round Game 4
UTEP 74, Florida Atlantic 67