Rice Owls' Ogwumike, Mulkey, Iademarco Earn C-USA All-Conference Accolades

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Posted: March 11, 2019 -- 10:25 a.m. CDT

For the first time in program history, the Rice Owls women's basketball team has secured three All-Conference honorees as Erica Ogwumike, Nancy Mulkey, and Nicole Iademarco each earned accolades as announced by Conference USA on Monday.

Ogwumike and Mulkey were both named First Team All-Conference, marking the first time the Owls placed two athletes on the C-USA First Team since joining the league in 2006. The only other time Rice had two First Team All-Conference members was when Marla Brumfield and Kirra Jordan accomplished the feat in 1998 as members of the WAC.

Iademarco was selected to the C-USA Second Team for a second straight year, just days after joining Ogwumike on the C-USA All-Academic Team.

In addition, Mulkey was named to the C-USA All-Defensive Team, joining Ogwumike (2018) and Jessica Kuster (2011-14) as Owls to earn the honor since 2008.

Ogwumike backed up her C-USA Preseason Player of the Year accolades by becoming the only player in C-USA to rank in the top-10 in the league in scoring (6th-15.9), rebounding (1st-10.8) and steals (8th-1.7). The reigning C-USA Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection last season, Ogwumike leads all C-USA players and ranks 17th in the nation with 16 double-doubles. The Cypress, TX, native ranks 11th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (8.0), the second-best average by a guard in the country. Ogwumike was twice named C-USA Player of the Week and played a major role in guiding the Owls to their first-ever C-USA regular season title.

Mulkey has made an immediate impact in her first season with the Owls as one of the nation's premier centers. A native of Cypress, Texas, Mulkey leads all of C-USA and ranks 17th in the nation with 72 blocks despite missing the first eight games of the season. Mulkey's 72 blocks already ranks fourth for a single-season in school history and is on the cusp of qualifying as the second-best shot blocker (3.60 blocks per game) in the nation. Mulkey is also on pace to shatter the Rice single-season field goal percentage record, leading all of C-USA by connecting at a 59.0 clip. She established a C-USA and Rice single-game record with nine blocks in a big win at UAB and is the only player in the nation with eight or more blocks in three games this season. Mulkey was named the C-USA Player of the week on January 28 and has helped lead the Owls to earning the No. 6 scoring defense (52.9 ppg) in the country.

Rice's all-time leader in made three-pointers (194), Iademarco is sporting career-best numbers in field goal percentage (47.9) and three-point percentage (42.0). Late in the season, Iademarco became the 22nd player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points at Rice and currently ranks 12th all-time in scoring (1,108 points). During league action, Iademarco ranks eighth in field goal percentage, second in three-point percentage, and sixth in three-pointers made per game. Iademarco becomes just the third Owl to earn C-USA All-Conference honors in consecutive seasons.

Ogwumike, Mulkey, and Iademarco will lead the Owls into this week's C-USA Tournament at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas as the No. 1 seed. No. 24 Rice (25-3, 16-0) is set to take on the winner of Wednesday's Southern Miss-North Texas matchup on Thursday at 11 a.m. (CT).

All-Conference USA First Team

Kierra Anthony, Louisiana Tech

Shayna Gore, Marshall

A'Queen Hayes, Middle Tennessee

Terriell Bradley, North Texas

Erica Ogwumike, Rice

Nancy Mulkey, Rice

Shonte Hailes, Southern Miss

Rachael Childress, UAB

Dee Givens, WKU

All-Conference USA Second Team

Laia Raventos, Charlotte