HOUSTON – Emily Klaczek’s game-tying 3-point attempt with 7.6 seconds remaining did not fall, as Rice toook home a 81-76 victory on Thursday evening.
Zakyia Weathersby led UAB (13-10, 6-6 C-USA) with a double-double of 21 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Emily Klaczek added 20 points and Margaret Whitley 15 for the Blazers.
Ashlee Austin led all scorers with 22 points. Maya Bokunewicz had 19 points and eight rebounds and Destiny Jackson scored 17 points with nine assists for the Owls (8-11, 2-9 C-USA).
With Rice leading 14-8 midway through the 1st quarter, an and-1 by Sara Rosenfeldt and a 3-pointer from Klaczek tied the contest. The teams would exchange 3-pointers before India Bellamy’s layup would put the Owls ahead going into the 2nd quarter at 21-19.
Weathersby scored seven straight points to give the Blazers a 28-25 lead with 6:28 left in the 2nd quarter. Klaczek’s 3-pointer extended the UAB lead to four points at 31-27 with 5:44 remaining. However, a late run inside the final two minutes would put the Owls ahead, as Bokunewicz’s 3-pointer gave Rice a 40-39 lead going into halftime.
UAB would get within one point of tying the game three times in the 3rd quarter, but Rice was able to build its lead back to eight points twice, the later on a Jackson and-1 that made the score 58-50 with 1:21 left.
Still down eight points, the Blazers rattled off eight straight to tie the contest at 65-65 with 4:48 left in the 4th quarter. A 10-2 Rice run with 2:09 gave them an eight-point cushion at 75-67 before the Blazers made it a two possession game on a Klaczek layup with 1:06 left. The defense got a stop on the ensuing possession followed by a pair of Weathersby foul shots that made the score 76-74 with 23 seconds left. Jackson made one of two free throws to put the Owls up by three points with 20 seconds to play.
Klaczek hit a layup with 13 seconds remaining to make the score 77-76. Jackson followed with two free throws with 11 seconds to play to put Rice up three. Bokunewicz would add two more free throws after Klaczek’s game-tying attempt to close out the scoring.
UAB outrebounded Rice 40-21 and had 32 points in the paint to the Owls’ 22.
The Blazers will remain in Texas to face North Texas on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. UAB returns to Birmingham for a rescheduled game against Rice on Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.
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