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WEATHER ALERT

RICE OWLS

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 – 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 Campbell’s Texas Football’s 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.

Local spotlight: How this Klein Volleyball player is adapting during COVID-19 pandemic

HOUSTON – 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. “I really just wanted to stay close to home because of my brother,” Mansfield said. They’re amazing.”But before she goes to Rice University, the junior still has two years of high school left and she has big goals. “Get the top digs in Texas, and also to keep all A’s in school to get me ready for Rice,” 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.

#5 Texas A&M rallies for win over Rice women 62-61

Houston - The Rice Owls women's basketball team came up just short in a last second, 62-61 loss to No. Rice (2-2) held a 61-60 lead with under 10 seconds remaining but Texas A&M's Cierra Johnson had a putback with nine seconds left, which proved to be the winning field goal. Rice junior guard Sydne Wiggins also scored in double-figures with 13 points, which included a 3-of-5 performance from three-point territory. ________________________________________HOW IT HAPPENEDFirst QuarterThe Aggies outscored Rice 24-14 in the opening period with Carter scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Wiggins scored another five points in the quarter while Haylee Swayze added four points off the bench.

Green leads Marshall to 20-7 win over Rice

Kereon Merrell #5 of the Marshall Thundering Herd runs the ball defended by Blaze Alldredge #55 and Antonio Montero #1 of the Rice Owls. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)HOUSTON - Isaiah Green threw for 269 yards and a score and Marshall rolled to 20-7 victory over winless Rice on Saturday. Brenden Knox ran for 130 yards and a touchdown and Justin Rohrwasser kicked two field goals for the Thundering Herd (6-3, 4-1 Conference USA). Green threw a 19-yard strike to Talik Keaton to give Marshall a 17-7 advantage at halftime. Rohrwasser booted a 49-yard field goal late in the third quarter to cap the scoring as Marshall held the Rice offense to just 52 yards for the rest of the game.

Perkins, Southern Miss defense lead way in 20-6 win over Rice

Wiley Green #5 of the Rice Owls looks to pass in the first half under pressure by Jacques Turner #99 of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)HOUSTON - Kevin Perkins ran for his first two touchdowns as a Golden Eagle and the Southern Miss defense smothered Rice 20-6 on Saturday. Perkins gave Southern Miss a 10-0 halftime lead with a 2-yard run to cap a 10-play, 67-yard drive. The Owls (0-8, 0-4 Conference USA) managed only 8 yards rushing and 131 in the air. Austin Trammell caught a 15-yard pass from Wiley Green for Rice's only points with six minutes left in the third quarter.

Smith runs for TD in OT, Louisiana Tech edges Rice 23-20

J'Mar Smith #8 of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs is sacked by De'Braylon Carroll #96 of the Rice Owls. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)HOUSTON - J'Mar Smith ran for a touchdown in overtime that made the difference as Louisiana Tech edged Rice 23-20 on Saturday night. Rice had scored first in OT on a 36-yard field goal by Chris Barnes. Justin Henderson ran for 64 yards and a score and Bailey Hale kicked a 31-yard field goal. Trailing 14-7 at halftime, Louisiana Tech evened it up with Henderson's 24-yard touchdown run with 1:23 left in the third.

What to watch for as UT takes on Rice this weekend at NRG Stadium

What will Texas have to do differently this weekend to secure its first road win of the year? What was Longhorns' head coach Tom Herman's response to the number of LSU injury timeouts late in the game on Saturday? Toward the end of last week's game, LSU defenders went down with cramps on multiple occasions while Texas was on offense. The Longhorns' head coach said he had "no idea" whether or not these injuries were in "good faith." Below is an update from Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren, who, at his press conference earlier this week, sounded confident that the quarterback will be back on the field at some point this season.

Wake Forest beat Rice Owls 41-21

riceowls.com/brandHOUSTON - Jamie Newman was 21 of 27 for 312 yards and three touchdowns, Scotty Washington had seven catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns and Wake Forest beat the Rice Owls 41-21 on Friday night. Wake outgained Rice, 513-321 yards. Brad Rozner finished with 103 yards on six catches for Rice (0-2). Wake Forest finished 7 of 14 on third downs. Rice: The Owls were able to recover from an early 14-0 deficit with two quick scores in three minutes to tie the game with 1 minutes left in the first, but struggled offensively from there.

Here are the college football games you don't want to miss this weekend

After the NCAA's soft opening of the college football season last Saturday (congrats Gator and Rainbow Warrior fans), this weekend features a boatload of pigskin. We won't list every contest, but here are the games that have us RSVP-ing couch time. Boise State vs. Florida StateHat tip to everyone behind the scenes that had to scramble to make Florida State's season debut vs Boise State happen. The Seminoles 2019 football schedule was announced in January with Jacksonville slated to host the opener. Follow this game#10 Texas vs. Louisiana TechSam Ehlinger has boasted that No.

5 things to know as Rice football prepares for game at West Point

HOUSTON - Head coach Mike Bloomgren held a press conference Tuesday as the Rice Owls prepare to open their season against a strong Army team. The Owls are stronger: And thats thanks to yoga? Bloomgren mentioned that the guys have been focusing on flexibility and how it can help their performance. Bloomgren feels hes a better coach: His second year in, he said he feels he trusts his staff more. I know this group of guys, especially the leaders, better.