March 12, 2013

No. 11 Rice Owls (14-15, 6-10 C-USA) at No. 6 Tulsa Golden Hurricane (13-16, 8-8)

C-USA First Round

Game 30 • Wednesday, March 13, 2013 • 12 p.m.

Tulsa, Okla. • Tulsa Convention Center
Audio: RiceOwls.com • TV: None

Series Record: Rice leads 24-12

The Last Meeting

Rice	45
Tulsa	49

February 17, 2013
Tulsa, Okla.

Women's Basketball Falls Just Short At Tulsa TULSA, Okla.- Rice fell 49-45 to Tulsa on Sunday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Jessica Goswitz led the Owls with 12 points.

Recap | Box Score

 

Owls Tip Off C-USA Tournament Against Host Tulsa

Winners of four of their last five games, Rice heads to Tulsa for the 2013 C-USA Championships, taking on the host insitution Tulsa. Rice is coming off of a 58-46 victory over league champion SMU in the final game of the regular season. The Owls are 6-7 all-time in the C-USA Tournament, and have advanced to two C-USA Championship Games.

Briefly On The Owls

• Jessica Kuster became the eighth player in league history to be named First Team All-C-USA three times

• Jessica Kuster was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Year

• Christal Porter is averaging 11.2 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game since Feb. 17

• Rice has won four of its last five games

• Rice's Strength of Schedule ranks fifth among schools not in a BCS-AQ league and 53rd nationally

• Jessica Kuster and Middle Tennessee's Ebony Rowe are the only two juniors in Division I to average a double double the past three seasons.

• Rice has come back from eight or more points down to win five times this season

• Megan Shafer is averaging 8.0 points per game and shooting .667 on 3-pointers since Feb. 28

Rice vs. Tulsa

Despite never meeting before Rice joined the WAC in 1996-97, Rice and Tulsa have played at least twice every year since. The Owls have won all 17 games of the series played in Houston. Rice has won 10 of the last 14 games in the series played at any location, Tulsa owns victories in both conference tournament matchups, the 2005-06 C-USA Finals and the 2003-04 WAC Semifinals.

Owls Tie School Record For Home Wins

Rice has won 12 home games for the fifth time in school history and the first time since 2004-05, which matches the school record. Rice has won 10+ games at home for the 10th time in school history.

Kuster Named Defensive Player Of The Year; Named All-Defensive For Third Time

Jessica Kuster became the first Rice player to win a conference Defensive Player of the Year award, and was named to the C-USA All-Defensive Team for the third straight year. She is the fourth three-time C-USA All-Defensive Team selection in league history, and the first for the Owls. Lauren Neaves is the only other Owl to be named to three all-defensive teams, earning the honor in the WAC (2003-04, 2004-05) and C-USA (2006-07).

Three Straight All-C-USA First Team Selections For Kuster

Junior Jessica Kuster was named First Team All-C-USA for the third straight year, becoming the first Owl to be named to three C-USA First Teams, and only the eighth player to make three All-C-USA First Teams in league history. Lauren Neaves is the only other Rice player to be named to three all-conference first teams, receiving the honor once in the WAC (2003-04) and twice in C-USA (2005-06, 2006-07).

Owls Win 4-of-5 Entering C-USA Tournament

Rice won four of its last five games entering the C-USA Tournament, including its two highest RPI wins of the season, at UTEP (95) and SMU (55). Rice is outscoring opponents by 6.4 points and outrebounding foes by 6.2 points in this stretch. The Owls are shooting 39.9 percent in this five game stretch, and holding opponents to a 34.6 clip from the field.

Rice Upsets League Champion SMU On Senior Day

Rice defeated SMU 58-46 on Senior Day at Tudor Fieldhouse, with three Owls scoring 12+ points in the victory. Nakachi Maduka led the Owls with 16 points, and guarded SMU's Keena Mays for most of the night, limiting her to 2-of-20 from the field. Christal Porter chipped in 12 points, and Jessica Kuster added in 15 points, off of just 9 field goal attempts and 18 rebounds, grabbing 29.4% of the misses off of SMU's basket.

C-USA Basketball Championship Streamed Live
The first round and quarterfinals of the 2012 C-USA Women's Basketball Championship will be available for viewing exclusively on the C-USA Digital Network. Current subscribers to the C-USA Digital Network can click on the watch links and enter your password information to view the games. New and school-only subscribers visit here
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