Women fall to Aussies 74 -69
The Owls stayed close for much of the first half, leading occasionally but down 34-31 at the break. They were strong early in the second half, making a run highlighted by a quick pair of three-pointers by Jessica Garcia.
They took their first lead of the second half at 52-51 with 11:28 left in the game on another three-pointer by Kim LaLonde.
But despite losing center Tracey Braithwaite and forward Chika Emeagi midway in the second half, the Australians pulled away with a strong defensive performance. They extended their lead to nine with 4:15 left in the second half.
An inability to make free throws in the last few minutes, including the first half of several one-and-ones, kept the Owls from regaining the lead despite an intense team effort.
While the loss was disappointing for the players, there was a lot to be happy about. The Owls played as a team, with solid passing and fundamental play that bodes well for the regular season.
"The key thing we need to improve upon is putting forth a constant effort for 40 minutes and staying mentally alert. But it's early in the year, and the team played hard," Head Coach Kristy McKinney said.
Senior small forward Stephanie Mundschau was fairly optimistic about the season ahead.
"We'd like to finish in the Southwest Conference's top three this year and make it to postseason play," she said. "We just need to work on the little things."
Freshman center Jennifer Hamilton, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds, provided a spark for the team.
"I'm really happy to be playing for Rice," she said. "The team helped me a lot, and everyone contributed."
Angelica Smith was a strong force inside for the Owls, finishing with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Other top statistical performers were Garcia with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds, LaLonde with nine points and Tammy McCallum with five rebounds and four steals.
The Australian Junior National team is composed of the best players from Australia's Under-16 and Under-18 teams. The team is currently in the U.S. to prepare for the 1997 Junior World Championships.
They showed a great deal of poise and cohesion in only their fourth day as a team. Leading scorers for Australia were Jessica Bibby and Emeagi with 16 apiece.
As a team, the Owls were outshot both from the field, 57 to 44 percent, and from the free throw line, 58 to 50 percent. Equalizing the numbers was a team effort on the boards that gave the Owls a 14-board edge, 44 to 30.
Rice next faces Houston Flight AAU Sunday at 3 p.m. at Autry Court.
This item appeared in the Sports section of the November 17, 1995 issue.
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