2023–24 Rice Owls women's basketball team

2023–24 Rice Owls women's basketball
2023–24 Rice Owls women's basketball
AAC Tournament Champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	19–15 (9–9 AAC)
Head coach	Lindsay Edmonds (3rd season);
Assistant coaches	Lakevia Boykin; Nick Grant; Danyelle Grant;
Home arena	Tudor Fieldhouse
	Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

The 2023–24 Rice Owls women's basketball team represented Rice University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Owls, led by third-year head coach Lindsay Edmonds, played their home games at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas as first year members of the American Athletic Conference.

2023–24 American Athletic Conference women's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Tulsa	13	–	5	.722	25	–	10	.714
North Texas	13	–	5	.722	23	–	9	.719
Temple	13	–	5	.722	20	–	12	.625
UTSA	10	–	8	.556	18	–	15	.545
South Florida	10	–	8	.556	19	–	14	.576
Charlotte	9	–	9	.500	16	–	15	.516
UAB	9	–	9	.500	18	–	14	.563
Memphis	9	–	9	.500	13	–	17	.433
East Carolina	9	–	9	.500	19	–	14	.576
Rice †	9	–	9	.500	19	–	15	.559
SMU	8	–	10	.444	14	–	16	.467
Florida Atlantic	6	–	12	.333	11	–	19	.367
Wichita State	5	–	13	.278	10	–	22	.313
Tulane	3	–	15	.167	12	–	20	.375

† 2024 AAC tournament winner

Previous season

The Owls finished the 2022–23 season 23–9, 13–7 in C-USA play to finish in third place.^[1] As the #3 seed in the C-USA tournament and receiving a first-round bye, they were upset by #6 seed UTSA in the quarterfinals.^[2] They reieved an at-large bid into the WNIT, where they defeated BYU in the first round,^[3] before falling to Oregon in the second round.^[4] This was the Owls' final season as members of Conference USA, as they moved to the American Athletic Conference effective July 1, 2023.^[5]

Roster

2023–24 Rice Owls women's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	1	Malia Fisher	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Jr	Hebron Christian Academy	Dacula, Georgia
G	2	Emily Klaczek	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Jr	UAB	Hoffman Estates, Illinois
G	4	Pace Rickard	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)	Fr	Grand Rapids Christian High School	Grand Rapids, Michigan
G	5	Destiny Jackson	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	Sr	Mansfield Timberview High School	Mansfield, Texas
G	11	Dominique Ennis	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	So	King's Christian Collegiate	Fort Erie, Ontario
G	12	Layla Conley	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Fr	John Marshall Harlan High School	San Antonio, Texas
G	14	Maya Bokunewicz	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Jr	State College Area High School	State College, Pennsylvania
G	20	Hailey Adams	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	RS Fr	Tom C. Clark High School	San Antonio, Texas
G/F	23	Kennedy Clifton	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	So	Bishop Ireton High School	Upper Marlboro, Maryland
G	24	Ashlyn Zhang	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)	So	Flintridge Preparatory School	South Pasadena, California
G	30	Jazzy Owens-Barnett	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)	So	Frisco Liberty High School	Plano, Texas
G	32	Trinity Gooden	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Jr	Choctaw High School	Midwest City, Oklahoma
C	33	Fatou Samb	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	Sr	California	Houston, Texas
C	35	Sussy Ngulefac	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Jr	Samford	Lilburn, Georgia
C	44	Shelby Hayes	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	So	Cedar Park High School	Cedar Park, Texas

Head coach

Lindsay Edmonds (Appalachian State)

Assistant coach(es)

Lakevia Boykin (Wake Forest)
Nick Grant (Baylor)
Danyelle Grant (Utah State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 15, 2023

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2023* 7:00 pm		Angelo State	W 101–47	–	26 – Klaczek	8 – Samb	5 – Jackson	Tudor Fieldhouse Houston, TX
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Houston Christian	W 70–38	1–0	14 – Ennis	10 – Fisher	3 – Jackson	Tudor Fieldhouse (622) Houston, TX
November 9, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Abilene Christian	W 69–58	2–0	13 – 2 Tied	6 – Fisher	3 – Klaczek	Moody Coliseum (1,040) Abilene, TX
November 12, 2023* 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at TCU	L 42–67	2–1	11 – Ennis	5 – Samb	2 – 3 Tied	Schollmaier Arena (1,788) Fort Worth, TX
November 16, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Georgia Tech	L 75–78	2–2	13 – Jackson	7 – 2 Tied	3 – Klaczek	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,088) Houston, TX
November 19, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Saint Mary's	W 73–62	3–2	26 – Bokunewicz	9 – Fisher	5 – Fisher	Tudor Fieldhouse (541) Houston, TX
November 25, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Stephen F. Austin	L 56–67	3–3	12 – Jackson	7 – Hayes	2 – 3 Tied	William R. Johnson Coliseum (751) Nacogdoches, TX
November 29, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Texas Southern	W 74–44	4–3	25 – Ennis	7 – Hayes	5 – Ennis	Tudor Fieldhouse (591) Houston, TX
December 2, 2023* 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi	W 84–56	5–3	14 – Ennis	9 – Fisher	5 – Hayes	Dugan Wellness Center (824) Corpus Christi, TX
December 9, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		No. 23 Gonzaga	L 72–80	5–4	16 – Jackson	6 – Hayes	3 – 2 Tied	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,367) Houston, TX
December 16, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Prairie View A&M	W 85–59	6–4	14 – Owens-Barnett	8 – Hayes	5 – Gooden	Tudor Fieldhouse (765) Houston, TX
December 20, 2023* 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at Houston Rivalry	L 63–71 ^OT	6–5	16 – Ennis	10 – Fisher	4 – Jackson	Fertitta Center (1,033) Houston, TX
AAC regular season
January 3, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Wichita State	W 76–64	7–5 (1–0)	17 – Ennis	8 – Adams	3 – 2 Tied	Fertitta Center (424) Houston, TX
January 7, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at SMU	W 65–63	8–5 (2–0)	17 – Jackson	10 – Fisher	7 – Jackson	Moody Coliseum (985) University Park, TX
January 11, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Charlotte	L 54–61	8–6 (2–1)	14 – Fisher	12 – Jackson	2 – 2 Tied	Tudor Fieldhouse (697) Houston, TX
January 14, 2024 12:00 pm, ESPNU		South Florida	W 67–64	9–6 (3–1)	23 – Fisher	13 – Fisher	6 – Jackson	Tudor Fieldhouse (893) Houston, TX
January 17, 2024 10:00 am, ESPN+		at East Carolina	W 80–67	10–6 (4–1)	19 – Ennis	10 – Fisher	7 – Jackson	Williams Arena (5,552) Greenville, NC
January 20, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Tulane	W 61–44	11–6 (5–1)	16 – Ennis	6 – Bokunewicz	5 – Jackson	Devlin Fieldhouse (982) New Orleans, LA
January 24, 2024 6:30 pm, ESPN+		at Tulsa	L 65–70	11–7 (5–2)	17 – 2 Tied	9 – Klaczek	3 – Ennis	Reynolds Center (1,768) Tulsa, OK
January 27, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Memphis	L 66–73	11–8 (5–3)	20 – Jackson	12 – Adams	3 – 2 Tied	Tudor Fieldhouse (841) Houston, TX
January 31, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+		SMU	W 69–60	12–8 (6–3)	19 – Ngulefac	9 – Adams	7 – Jackson	Tudor Fieldhouse (804) Houston, TX
February 3, 2024 12:00 pm, ESPN+		at Florida Atlantic	L 63–68	12–9 (6–4)	16 – Jackson	7 – Ennis	3 – Owens-Barnett	Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (484) Boca Raton, FL
February 7, 2024 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at South Florida	W 69–59	13–9 (7–4)	21 – Owens-Barnett	7 – Ennis	4 – Jackson	Yuengling Center (3,005) Tampa, FL
February 10, 2024 5:00 pm, ESPN+		Tulsa	W 78–66	14–9 (8–4)	17 – 2 Tied	12 – Adams	4 – 2 Tied	Tudor Fieldhouse (814) Houston, TX
February 14, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+		East Carolina	W 75–57	15–9 (9–4)	22 – Fisher	9 – Adams	5 – Owens-Barnett	Tudor Fieldhouse (623) Houston, TX
February 17, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at UAB	L 74–87	15–10 (9–5)	20 – Fisher	8 – Adams	6 – Jackson	Bartow Arena (927) Birmingham, AL
February 20, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Memphis	L 74–79 ^OT	15–11 (9–6)	21 – Ennis	6 – Ennis	5 – Fisher	Elma Roane Fieldhouse (881) Memphis, TN
February 25, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Temple	L 66–75	15–12 (9–7)	24 – Fisher	9 – Jackson	6 – Jackson	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,109) Houston, TX
March 2, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+		North Texas	L 54–63	15–13 (9–8)	13 – Ngulefac	10 – Klaczek	7 – Jackson	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,071) Houston, TX
March 5, 2024 6:30 pm, ESPN+		at UTSA	L 52–60	15–14 (9–9)	30 – Fisher	12 – Fisher	2 – 3 Tied	Convocation Center (1,252) San Antonio, TX
AAC tournament
March 10, 2024 6:00 pm, ESPN+	(10)	vs. (7) UAB Second Round	W 71–56	16–14	20 – Fisher	9 – Ngulefac	4 – 2 Tied	Dickies Arena (1,483) Fort Worth, TX
March 11, 2024 6:00 pm, ESPN+	(10)	vs. (2) North Texas Quarterfinals	W 61–59	17–14	16 – Jackson	10 – Fisher	6 – Jackson	Dickies Arena (1,602) Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2024 8:00 pm, ESPN+	(10)	vs. (3) Temple Semifinals	W 60–57	18–14	17 – Fisher	5 – 3 Tied	4 – 2 Tied	Dickies Arena (1,520) Fort Worth, TX
March 13, 2024 6:00 pm, ESPNU	(10)	vs. (9) East Carolina Championship	W 61–41	19–14	15 – Ngulefac	11 – Ngulefac	4 – 2 Tied	Dickies Arena (2,682) Fort Worth, TX
NCAA Tournament
March 22, 2024 3:00 pm, ESPN	(14 A2)	at (3 A2) No. 8 LSU First Round	L 60–70	19–15	15 – Jackson	5 – Fisher	5 – Gooden	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,957) Baton Rouge, LA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Sources:^[6]^[7]

References

^ "2022-23 Women's Basketball Standings". Conference USA. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^ "Owls Fall Late to UTSA in C-USA Quarterfinal". Rice University Athletics. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^ "Slow start spells the end of the season for BYU in WNIT loss to Rice". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^ "Oregon women keep rolling with rout of Rice to advance to WNIT Super 16". The Register-Guard. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^ "American Athletic Conference Welcomes Six New Members". American Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^ "2023-24 Women's Basketball Schedule". Rice University Athletics. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^ "Rice Owls 2023-24 Regular Season NCAAW Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[1] "2022-23 Women's Basketball Standings". Conference USA. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[2] "Owls Fall Late to UTSA in C-USA Quarterfinal". Rice University Athletics. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[3] "Slow start spells the end of the season for BYU in WNIT loss to Rice". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[4] "Oregon women keep rolling with rout of Rice to advance to WNIT Super 16". The Register-Guard. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[5] "American Athletic Conference Welcomes Six New Members". American Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[6] "2023-24 Women's Basketball Schedule". Rice University Athletics. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[7] "Rice Owls 2023-24 Regular Season NCAAW Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

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