HOUSTON — Sam Houston jumped out to an early lead, but Rice rallied in the second half to come away with a 68-57 victory at Tudor Fieldhouse on Friday.
The Bearkats (3-6) took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by
Kaylee Jefferson who scored a game-high 19 points. The Owls (9-0) cut the advantage to five, but
Chyna Allen hit a 3 and
Sydnee Kemp made a jumper to push the lead back to 15-7.
Rice used an 8-0 run in the second quarter to take its first lead at 18-17. Mikalya Woods put Sam Houston back on top and the game went back and forth until a layup by Jefferson sent the Kats into the break ahead 26-25.
The Owls outscored Sam Houston 19-12 in the third quarter to take the lead for good. The Bearkats cut the lead to five with just under eight minutes to go on a basket by
Madelyn Batista, but Rice was able to pull away.
Allen scored 13 points for SHSU, and Batista added 11. The Kats shot 43 percent from the field and 56 percent from behind the arc, but the Owls scored 23 points off 21 turnovers.
Sam Houston will be back in action at home on Tuesday when they host UNT Dallas at 2 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men who face Arlington Baptist at 4:30.
