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The Rice Thresher
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by JASON GERSHMAN THRESHER STAFF
Rice shocked the University of California at Santa Barbara - and the rest of the women's basketball world, for that matter - by pulling off a shocking 67-64 upset of the Gauchos in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Saturday night. The excitement was short-lived, however, as the University of North Carolina stopped the Lady Owls' improbable run with an 83-50 blowout in Monday night's second round. But Rice's most lasting memories will come from their first-ever tourney game. Few people outside the Rice community gave the 13th-seeded Lady Owls any chance of actually beating 4th-seeded UCSB on its home court. In fact, with the ninth-ranked Gauchos riding a national-best 26-game winning streak and a 25-game home winning streak, it was easy to see why Rice was a heavy underdog. But on one incredible night, the Lady Owls threw those streaks out the window. In a game where no team led by more than six points, senior guard Marla Brumfield scored the game's final points on a lay-up with one minute remaining to give Rice a three-point lead. Brumfield and senior forward Kim Smallwood each missed a free throw to allow the Gauchos the slightest glimmer of hope, but UCSB missed two desperation 3-pointers, including one as time expired. The win, likely the greatest in the program's history, was not nearly as shocking to the Lady Owls as it was to everyone else. "We knew coming in here that it was going to be tough, but we knew if we played our game and played defense the way we're capable of, then we would have a shot to win the game," head coach Cristy McKinney said. "We hung around and made some offensive plays when we needed to and we pulled off the win." Smallwood led the Lady Owls with 22 points and also grabbed three of the team's seven steals. Brumfield and senior forward Kirra Jordan added 16 and 15 points, but the key was Rice's defense. The Lady Owls played one of their best defensive games of the season, forcing 21 turnovers while only committing 12. In addition, the Gauchos' 64 points was their second-lowest total of the year. "We played a tough game," Smallwood said. "I was thinking all game that I was just trying to get my team to advance. I wanted this win so bad. This means a lot." The win was Rice's first ever against a team ranked in the Top 10, and the Lady Owls became the lowest-seeded team to win in either the men's or women's tournaments. Newspapers all over the nation - including USA Today - ran features on the Lady Owls and alluded to them as this year's Cinderella story. And then they met North Carolina. The Tar Heels, seeded fifth, forced 14 first-half turnovers and jumped out to a 47-22 halftime lead. The Lady Owls never recovered. "We just got beat by a better basketball team," McKinney said. "You don't want to say it, but maybe we were emotionally drained from Saturday's game. Against UNC, we got some good looks early and didn't make them. If some of our shots had gone in then maybe they would not have gotten so much momentum." McKinney said the experience factor likely played a large role in the game's outcome. The Lady Owls were making their first trip to the NCAA tournament while the Tar Heels have made it to the Sweet 16 eight of the past nine years. "We're in the NCAA for the first time ever and much as you say you'll be loose, it's tough," McKinney said. "You don't know what it's like to be here until you're here. North Carolina has been here many times and maybe that worked to their advantage." - back - |
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