Owls secure second straight C-USA regular-season title

Rice wasn’t looking for vengeance.

But beating Old Dominion 73-70 to win its second consecutive Conference USA regular season title at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday was just as sweet.

“I don’t think anyone else could’ve written out a better way to end conference play as a senior,” guard Erica Ogwumike said.

“We definitely learned from the last time. We learned that we needed to be aggressive. We can’t just wait and let the game come to us.”

The Owls won a share of the conference regular season title through Thursday’s win over UTEP.

Rice (21-8, 16-2) won its second outright regular season title in a row, avenging a February loss to Old Dominion (24-6, 14-4) which snapped the program’s 30-game C-USA win streak.

In that loss, Rice came back to tie the game in the fourth quarter but lost in overtime.

On Saturday, the Owls came back again but held on.

“I think you saw a bit more poise,” Ogwumike said. “I think you also just saw intentionality. Everyone was intentional with the plays. What we wanted, who we wanted the ball to and just things of that nature, I think that was the difference.”

Old Dominion led by five with seven minutes to play. A minute before, Ogwumike had picked up her fourth foul.

But with less than four minutes to play, she drove towards the basket and kicked the ball out to Jasmine Smith, who sank a corner 3-pointer to give Rice a two-point lead with 3:30 to go.

It extended a 7-0 run that put Rice up by four.

With a minute left Rice still led by four, but with the clock running down, the Monarchs’ Victoria Morris sank a 3-pointer, drew a foul and made the ensuing free throw to tie the game. She scored a game-high 29 points.

Ogwumike attacked the basket for a lay-up that put Rice back on top with 27 seconds to play.

Morris missed a 3-pointer and freshman Lauren Schwartz made a pair of free throws on the other end.

With nine seconds left, Morris made another from distance, but Ogwumike made two free throws, which forced the Monarchs to scramble for a last-second 3-pointer that never came.

Ogwumike scored a team-high 20 points. She was one of five Rice players in double-figures, joining Smith (16), Schwartz (14), Nancy Mulkey (12) and Katelyn Crosthwait (11).

The Owls shot 48.1 percent from the field (25for-52) and converted all 16 free throw attempts.

“I’m just going to enjoy this moment,” she said. “After today we’ll definitely start thinking about the conference tournament because we know that there will be more work to do.”