The Rice Owls women’s basketball team is preparing to face the Charlotte 49ers on Tuesday, March 3, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will be held at Halton Arena and marks the 30th contest of the season for Rice.
Rice enters the matchup with a record of 26-3 overall and an undefeated 16-0 mark in American Conference play. The team is seeking its 22nd consecutive win, which would set a new program record. Currently, their streak of 21 straight victories ties the longest in school history, previously achieved during the 2018-19 season. This run is also the third-longest active winning streak in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
Following their most recent victory—a dominant 105-65 performance against Tulsa—Rice was crowned regular season champions of the American Conference after defeating Temple last Wednesday. This title marks Rice’s fifth regular season championship and first since the 2020-21 campaign.
Key contributors have played significant roles in Rice’s success this year. Victoria Flores led all scorers with 24 points against Tulsa and was perfect from the free throw line earlier this season, making all 16 attempts in a win over Houston—an achievement that ranks third in school history for single-game free throws made.
Shelby Hayes earned recognition as American Conference Player of the Week after helping secure two wins and clinching the conference title for Rice. Hayes scored a combined total of 39 points across games against Temple and Tulsa.
Hailey Adams received national attention by being named USBWA National Player of the Week following strong performances against South Florida and East Carolina. Adams was also selected as one of only 64 women’s basketball athletes nationwide to receive the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award, which honors leadership, selflessness, and service among student-athletes.
Dominique Ennis set a new program record for career three-pointers with her current total at 257, surpassing Nicole Iademarco’s previous mark. Ennis also became just the third player under head coach Lindsay Edmonds to reach over 1,000 career points; she now has accumulated 1,315 points—12th most in program history.
Another highlight includes Aniah Alexis beginning her season with a perfect start at the free throw line (43-for-43) before missing her first attempt against Temple on January 28—a school-best opening streak from the charity stripe.
In non-conference play, Rice matched its highest number of wins (10) outside league competition—a feat accomplished twice before in program history during both the 2017-18 and 1992-93 seasons. Their schedule included matchups with seven teams that participated in postseason tournaments last year.
Preseason expectations were high for several players: Dominique Ennis was named to the All-Conference First Team while Aniah Alexis and Victoria Flores were selected to Second Team honors. In preseason polling by coaches within The American Conference, Rice was picked to finish third.
Tuesday’s game will be broadcast via video stream and radio stream online. Fans can follow updates through @RiceWBB on social media platforms.
