March 14, 2006
Houston -
Rice vs. Jackson State Game Notes in PDF Format
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Rice will play in its fifth Women's National Invitation Tournament starting Wednesday, March 15, hosting Jackson State at Autry Court at 7 pm. Here's a quick look at the contest:
WHO: Rice Owls (17-13) vs. Jackson State (Miss.) Lady Tigers (17-13)
WHAT: Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) preliminary round
WHEN: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 7 pm
WHERE: Autry Court at Rice University
TICKETS: $7 for adults, $4 for students; Rice undergraduate and graduate students with ID get in free (subsidized by the Rice athletics department)
COACHES:
Rice - Greg Williams, 17-13 at Rice (first season); 218-152 in 13 seasons overall
Jackson State - Denise Taylor-Lewis, 67-49 at JSU (fifth season); 141-112 in 10 seasons overall
KEY PLAYERS:
Rice - Lauren Neaves (6-2, Jr., Forward, Cooper City, Fla.)
Neaves was named to the all-Conference USA first team and also earned all-tournament honors at the league championship. She averages 15.9 points and 10.8 rebounds a game, and is ranked 15th nationally in rebounding and 20th in blocked shots with 2.3 a game. Neaves has 17 double-doubles on the year, and scored a career-high 36 points against SMU in the C-USA tourney.
Jackson State - Shelita Burns (6-1, Jr., Forward, Jackson, Miss.)
Burns earned all-SWAC first team recognition and leads the Lady Tigers in scoring at 17 points a game, and rebounding at 6.9 a game. She shot 48.4 percent from the field and also grabbed 41 steals.
-- The winner of this game advances to play at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., on March 18.
-- Rice finished 17-13 overall and 11-5 in Conference USA. The Owls, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, lost to Tulsa 55-52 in the championship game of the C-USA tournament at Dallas on March 5. This is the fifth WNIT appearance for the Owls, who previously played in the tournament in 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2004. They reached the third round in 1999.
-- Jackson State finished 17-13 overall and 14-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. The Lady Tigers lost to Alabama State in the semifinals of the SWAC tournament. They also won 11 of their last 13 games.
-- This is the first meeting of the two schools in women's basketball.
