Trojans End Texas Road Trip with 58-51 Loss at Rice

HOUSTON – A 16-point lead evaporated for Little Rock women's basketball as it took a 58-51 loss to Rice on Friday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
 
Freshman guard Tori Lasker led the Trojans (1-3) with 13 points while earning four assists and four rebounds. Raeyana DeGray led the Trojans with a career-high 10 rebounds (five offensive and five defensive) and had four points. Monique Townson tied a season high with six assists while scoring seven points and earning four steals. Anna Hurlburt led the game with three blocks and had a career-high eight boards.
 
Erica Ogwumike led the Owls (5-0) and the game with 29 points and five steals. She was 9 for 15 from the field, 3 for 5 from three and 8 for 11 at the foul line.
 
Little Rock began the game with a 16-11 lead over Rice as the Trojans shot 35.3 percent (6 for 17) from the field while hitting 2 of 6 three-point tries. The Trojans outrebounded the Owls 15-6 in the first quarter as Raeyana DeGray tied her career high with five.
 
The Trojans ended the half with a 33-26 lead over the Owls. Little Rock shot 41.2 percent (7 for 17) in the second quarter while Rice shot 40 (4 for 10) and was 2 for 5 from three. Little Rock built itself a 16-point lead at 33-17, but the Owls came storming back with a 9-0 run to end the quarter. Raeyana DeGray tallied her career-high sixth rebound in the second quarter. 11 of Little Rock's 33 points in the first half came off turnovers.
 
With just under seven minutes to play in the third quarter, Rice went on a 9-0 run to cut Little Rock's lead to one at 40-39. After the Trojans went back up by three with 45 seconds remaining, Little Rock allowed Rice to hit a buzzer beater and tie the game at 44. The Trojans were 4 for 12 in the quarter while the Owls were 4 for 14. Rice drained three three-pointers and was 7 for 8 from the charity stripe. Nine of the Owls' 18 points came off turnovers.
 
The fourth quarter was all Rice as it began the quarter with another 9-0 run. The Owls outscored the Trojans 14-7 in the final quarter of play as Little Rock didn't score its first basket of the quarter until there were four and half minutes left in the game. Rice shot 55.6 percent (5 for 9) while Little Rock shot a dismal 21.4 (3 for 14).
 
Little Rock finished the contest with the advantage in rebounds (40-30), assists (14-10), free-throw percentage (75-72) and fewer turnovers (16-15). Rice had the advantage in field-goal percentage (38.6-33.3), three-point field-goal percentage (30-25), blocks (5-4) and steals (9-7). Little Rock also got itself into foul trouble as it committed 24 fouls for the game — its most since racking up 25 against Oklahoma in 2015.
 
The Trojans will return to action against Oklahoma at the Jack Stephens Center on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.