HBU loses; Rice wins

Thursday night, Houston Baptist University hosted a women's basketball double-header. The Huskies played Harding University in the first game while the Rice Owls played TCU in the night cap.

The Bison executed their offense with precision during the game's final eight minutes and erased an eight point Huskies' lead and defeated the Huskies 74 to 64.

"We didn't get the basketball stops that we needed," said Huskies head coach Todd Buchanan after the game. "Basketball is a game of runs. We had a great run. We were eight up at about the 10 minute mark of the game."

"Ten minutes left to go in the game; I'm really at a loss for words and understanding what happened after that."

"We still don't have the killer instinct to finish games."

HBU begins a four-game road trip Saturday, December 8, with a 2 pm match up with Wayland Baptist.

"Needless to say," added Buchanan. "We'll have to play a whole lot better (on the road) than the way we're playing right now."



Owls top TCU by Eight

While I was interviewing Coach Buchanan, apparently, I missed a key to the Rice Owls' 82 to 74 win over TCU. No, it wasn't the fact the Owls were playing their first "home" game in three weeks. No, it wasn't the great support from the Owls band nor the great support from the Owls' fans who drove to Sharp Gym for the game.

The difference to the win was a new cheer. That's right a new cheer.

Owls' senior guard Kadie Riverin and sophomore guard Tara Watts said so after the game.

"We knew one of the things we were struggling with is energy," said Riverin. "So, we tried to change some of our cheers; pump everybody up. Everybody got fired up."

"We had a different pre-game cheer," Watts laughed. "We got krunked. The music was different, too."

Rice (6-5) started the game with a 14 to 2 run; however, TCU (3-5) answered with a 15 to 5 run to trim the Owls' lead to 19 to 17 with 9:15 left in the opening half. The game was tied four times over the next six minutes before the Owls went on a quick 7 to 0 burst to lead 39 to 32 before the Horned Frogs closed the half with four points.

After TCU pulled within three points (41 to 38) early in the second half, the Owls scored eight consecutive points to lead by 11. Rice led by double digits for most of the game's next 10 minutes. However, a jump shot by TCU's Danielle Nunn trimmed Rice's lead to just eight (71 to 63) with three minutes and 13 seconds left in the game. Nunn scored a lay-up to pull TCU closer; however, Riverin swished a three-point jump shot from the top of the key with 2:15 on the clock to give the Owls a much needed basket.

Adrianne Ross drained a three-point shot to trim the lead to six once again; however, Owls' senior center Valeryia Berezhynska converted a three-point play to put Rice ahead 77 to 68 with sixty-nine seconds left in the game.

TCU took advantage of a few mental breakdowns by the Owls during the final seconds of the game to pull within six points (80 to 74) with nine seconds left in the game; but, Riverin hit two free throws to put the game away.

If a new cheer and new music was the tonic needed to end a four-game losing streak, good call.