Houstonโs defense makes 2 big plays late in win over Rice
Nelson Ceaser returned a fumble for an 11-yard score with 3:34 left in the fourth quarter and Thabo Mwaniki intercepted a tipped pass on the next possession as Houston beat Rice 34-27 on Saturday to retain the Bayou Bucket for a record seventh consecutive time.
McMahon rallies Rice to 35-31 victory over Louisiana Tech
TJ McMahon threw two late touchdown passes โ including a 3-yarder to Cedric Patterson III with 61 seconds remaining โ and Rice rallied for a 35-31 victory over Louisiana Tech. Rice led 14-10 at halftime, but JD Head connected with Smoke Harris for a 5-yard score to give Louisiana Tech a 17-14 lead midway through the third quarter.
Mulkey, Schwartz lead Rice past Ole Miss for WNIT title
Rice (23-4), which won the 2017 WBI, won its first WNIT title. Jasmine Smith added 11 points, nine rebounds and four steals for the Owls. Donetta Johnson made a layup that gave Ole Miss (15-12) its first lead with 6:12 left in the first quarter but Schwartz answered with a layup on the other end just 18 seconds later and Rice led the rest of the way. The rest of the Ole Miss team combined to make 11 of 45 (24.4%) from the field. The previous two WNIT champions, Arizona and Indiana, are in the Elite 8 of the 2021 Women's NCAA Tournament.
Rice Owls women earn ticket to WNIT Championship game
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. 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. AdRice will now face the winner of Ole Miss and Northern Iowa in the championship game, set for Sunday at 1 p.m. on FloHoops.com.
Rice Owls 2021 football recruiting class features size and versatility
HOUSTON โ The class consists of 16 high school seniors, one from a prep school and one from the junior college ranks. Among the high school players, 11 reached the postseason and six will be in action this weekend in the Texas state playoffs. The Owls added four linebackers--including three high school signees who were ranked in Dave Campbellโs Texas Footballโs preseason top 25 linebackers in Texas--and four defensive linemen, three offensive linemen, receivers and defensive backs and one quarterback. Nine of the players come from Texas and four are from Alabama, two from Florida and one each from California, Mississippi and New Jersey. Since coming to Rice in December of 2017, Bloomgren has expanded the Owls national footprint to include recruits from 21 states.
3 things to watch in Houston sports this week
Hello from the Xfinity Sports Desk at KPRC 2 as we kick off this new week. Tom Brady is gone, but signal-caller Cam Newton has the Pats trending in the right direction, winning two in a row. The Patriots have a solid rushing attack which isnโt good for the Texans, who have been terrible against the run. High school footballThe high school football season continues this weekend. Itโs a busy week of sports ahead here in H-Town.
Local spotlight: How this Klein Volleyball player is adapting during COVID-19 pandemic
HOUSTON โ Klein High School libero Gaby Mansfield is just happy to be back on the court. But it was also an offseason, which she committed to stay at home post-high school and play for the Rice Owls. โI really just wanted to stay close to home because of my brother,โ Mansfield said. Theyโre amazing.โBut before she goes to Rice University, the junior still has two years of high school left and she has big goals. โGet the top digs in Texas, and also to keep all Aโs in school to get me ready for Rice,โ Mansfield said.
Klein's Mansfield verbals to Rice University
HOUSTON - When Gaby Mansfield was 14-years-old, she knew then that she wanted to play collegiate volleyball. In the end, the Klein junior decided to stay close to home verbally committing to Genny Volpe's Rice Owls. When looking at Rice, the university is in the Top 10 academically. 1 team Klein Bearkats, who's 2020 season begins in the next week with Class 6A volleyball being pushed back a month due to COVID-19. Teammates Devan Taylor (Clemson) and Annie Antar (University of North Florida-Indoor) are also verbally committed to play college volleyball.