FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 10 Rice advanced to the second round of the 2024 American Women’s Basketball Championship with a 71-56 win over No. 7 UAB on Sunday, March 10 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
With the win, the Owls (16-14) will face No. 2 North Texas in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
After a tight first quarter, Rice limited the Blazers (18-13) to four field goals in the second quarter and took a 36-27 lead into halftime. The Owls then shot 62.5 percent (10-16) from the field in the third to extend the lead to as big as 19.
Malia Fisher led the Owls with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Destiny Jackson added 14 points.
Denim DeShields led the Blazers with 20 points, while Jade Weathersby had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Owls finished with 53 rebounds as a team, two shy of the single-game Championship record, set by Houston in 2023 and UConn in 2018.
2024 American Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule
First Round | Saturday, March 9
Game 1: No. 13 Wichita State 64, No. 12 Florida Atlantic 50
Game 2: No. 14 Tulane 68, No. 11 SMU 62
Second Round | Sunday, March 10
Game 3: No. 9 East Carolina 65, No. 8 Memphis 63
Game 4: No. 5 South Florida 69, No. 13 Wichita State 62
Game 5: No. 10 Rice 71, No. 7 UAB 56
Game 6: No. 14 Tulane vs. No. 6 Charlotte – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Quarterfinals | Monday, March 11
Game 7: No. 9 East Carolina vs. No. 1 Tulsa – 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT | ESPN+
Game 8: No. 5 South Florida vs. No. 4 UTSA – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 9: No. 10 Rice vs. No. 2 North Texas – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. No. 3 Temple – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Semifinals | Tuesday, March 12
Game 11 – Semifinal 1, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 12 – Semifinal 2, Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Final | Wednesday, March 13
Game 13: Championship, Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPNU
