Women's Basketball

WBB: Rice Earns Trip to WNIT Championship

MEMPHIS, TN – Lauren Schwartz (25 points) recorded her third consecutive game with 20 or more points and Katelyn Crosthwait added a career-high 20 points to help lead the Rice Owls women's basketball team to an 85-75 victory over Delaware Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the WNIT.
 
The Owls (22-4) won their fourth consecutive game in the tournament by 10 or more points by shooting 54 percent from the field and making a season-high 22-of-28 (79 percent) at the free throw line. Rice never trailed in the contest and limited Delaware (24-5) to 33 percent shooting from the floor.
 
Schwartz made 7-of-12 shots from the field and was a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line while Crosthwait knocked down 6-of-12 shots from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and was 4-of-4 at the free throw line.  
 
Junior point guard Jasmine Smith added 17 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, all of which have come in the last five games. Senior guard Sydne Wiggins (11 points) also scored in double-figures and tied a career-high with seven assists. Senior center Nancy Mulkey led the Owls with 11 rebounds and three blocks and tied a career-high with five assists.
 
Rice will now face Ole Miss in the championship game, set for Sunday at 1 p.m. on FloHoops.com.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter   
Rice jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, which forced an early timeout from the Blue Hens. Delaware would eventually tie the game at 12-12 but the Owls finished the quarter on a 9-0 run and led 26-16 after 10 minutes while shooting 65 percent from the field.  
 
Second Quarter
The Owls' defense locked down on the Blue Hens, allowing just 10 points on 15 percent shooting and won the quarter 18-10 to take a 44-26 lead into halftime. Schwartz scored seven points in the period as did Crosthwait.   

Third Quarter
Rice knocked down four triples in the quarter, two of which came from Crosthwait, as Rice shot 73 percent from the floor. Delaware actually won the quarter, 26-23, but the Owls still held a 67-52 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Owls took care of business at the free throw line over the final 10 minutes, going 15-of-20 (75 percent) at the charity stripe to close out the victory. Delaware pulled to within single-digits late but a Wiggins three-pointer all but shut down the rally.