HOUSTON, Texas − The Nicholls State University's women's basketball team put together a spirited effort at Rice against one of the nation's best defensive teams, but the Colonels dropped their 2019-20 season opener to the Owls, 71-47, Tuesday night in Tudor Fieldhouse.
Adrian Mann paced the offense with 14 points and added eight rebounds, connecting on 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 5 behind the arc. She was the lone Colonel to crack double figures as the imposing Rice defense limited Nicholls (0-1) to 25.5 percent shooting for the game.
The rest of the scoring was a balanced effort with five players accounting for five or more points. Tykeria Williams and Loan-Anh Johnson had seven each, Airi Hamilton and Chrystal Ezechukwu netted six, and freshman Terris McKay added five points.
While the Owls featured reigning CUSA Player of the Year Erica Ogwumike and 6-foot-9 center Nancy Mulkey, it was the sharp-shooting of Haylee Swayze that fueled the Rice offense with a game-high 22 points helped by 4-of-6 3-pointers. Mulkey (12 points) swatted four shots and contributed to a 51-34 advantage on the rebounds for the home team.
Nicholls hung close early on with Mann contributing with five points as Rice led 12-8 at the tail end of the first quarter. But the Colonels went scoreless over the next four minutes into the second period and Rice scored 12 straight points for a 24-8 advantage.
The Colonels answered with a Chelsea Cain jumper and a 3-pointer by Mann to trim it to 11, but Nicholls would not get any closer the rest of the way. Rice headed into the locker room with a 34-16 lead and went up by as much as 27 in the second half.
Nicholls connected on 6 of 16 3-pointers and finished at 72.2 percent at the free throw line (13-18). Rice hit eight 3-balls and shot 41.9 percent for the game.
UP NEXT
The Colonels will play their second consecutive 2019 NCAA Tournament team with a Sunday, Nov. 10 matchup at Indiana. Tipoff in Bloomington is scheduled for 11 a.m. central.
STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Women's Basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_WBB).
