Carter's layup in final seconds helps Owls edge SMU

Posted: January 8, 2012, 6:48 p.m. CST

HOUSTON, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse) -- Brittany Carter provided much needed energy and effort for the Rice Owls Sunday afternoon. More importantly, Carter scored six points including the go-ahead basket in the final seconds to give the Owls (7-8 overall, 1-1) a much needed 56-54 win over the SMU Mustangs.

Carter, 5'6", sophomore guard from Winnsboro, TX, had scored a total of four points in 19 total minutes the entire season before today.

Carter said she did not know she would play today.

"When he (Coach Greg Williams) said 'Carter. Go get (Jessica) Goswitz," a giggling Carter admitted after the game. "Honestly. I was on the bench and he said 'Carter. Go get Goswitz. I said, All right. I'm ready.' That's when I knew."

Carter checked into the game at the 16:49 mark of the second half; and, the Owls trailed 34-30. The Owls struggled to score for a few minutes; but, Carter scored a driving layup to trim the Owls' deficit to 40-35. A few minutes later, Carter tied the game at 46 with a left-handed runner in the paint.

The Owls did not shoot well in the ball game; but, they battled back from deficits throughout the game. When SMU junior Kristin Hernandez nailed a three-point shot for a 54-48 lead with 3:33 left in the game, the Owls' chances of winning seemed dim. However, the Owls held the Mustangs scoreless the rest of the game while D'Frantz Smart converted a layup, sophomore Jessica Kuster sank two free throws; and freshman Christal Porter scored a put back to tie the game at 54.

The Mustangs (7-8 overall, 0-2 C-USA) called a timeout to set up a play. Kristin Hernandez missed a short shot; and, the players scrambled for the loose ball. Players dove onto the court for the ball; seconds ticked off the clock; Porter finally grabbed the ball and passed up the court to senior Amenemope McKinney. McKinney passed to Carter; and, Carter scored the left-handed layup with eight seconds remaining.

Carter said she didn't have enough time to think about the layup.

"Handle the pass; then, take care of business," Carter said.

Owls head coach Greg Williams cited Carter's improved play in practice the last two weeks as one reason he decided to give her minutes today.

"Brittany Carter. I can't say enough about Brittany Carter," Williams said. "Kudos to her. She's continued to work hard; and, she's started to do some good things in practice. We've seen that.

"In the back of my mind, I was like 'I want to try to play her today.' I didn't play her in the first half; but, we were struggling to guard (Alisha) Filmore; so, my coaches and I decided we've got to play Brittany in the second half. Not only did she play well defensively; but, she scored. Made the winning basket of the game. I couldn't be more proud of her."

The Owls made only 21 of their 69 field goals (30.4%) while the Mustangs made 23 of 60 (38.3%). The Owls missed only one free throw (11 for 12); but, the Mustangs missed eight of 13 foul shots (38.5%).

Jessica Kuster led the Owls with 16 points and 16 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Kuster made just six of her 20 shot attempts; but, she said the Mustangs didn't do anything on defense that surprised her.

"No. Not really. They were playing me for the drive; and, I didn't prove that I could shoot outside; so, they continued to play me for the drive. I continued to shoot; and, I kept missing.

"I don't think it was a lot of them. It was mostly just me. I've been in a shooting slump for three or four games now; so, hopefully, I can come out of it soon. Thank goodness everybody is stepping up."

D'Frantz Smart added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

The Owls host the Tulane Green Wave on Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m.