HOUSTON Haleigh Timmers 3-pointer with eight seconds to play capped a double-digit comeback in the fourth quarter and helped South Dakota State defeat Rice 65-63 in their season opener on Monday night.
Timmers triple was the key play in a fourth quarter that saw the Jackrabbits enter trailing the Owls 52-39 and trail 57-47 on Sussy Ngulefacs free throw with 5:26 to play before back-to-back 3-pointers by Katie Vasecka and Timmer cut the lead down to 57-53 with 4:15 remaining.
The Owls took a 61-55 lead just over a minute later on a jumper by Dominique Ennis but a pair of free throws by Paige Meyer and a three-point play and layup by Brooklyn Meyer gave SDSU a 62-61 lead with 1:44 to go.
Ngulefac hit a go-ahead jumper to put Rice up 63-62 with 21 seconds to play but Timmer knocked down the 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining and Kallie Thiesen grabbed the final rebound on a missed 3-pointer by Ennis to complete the Jacks 18-6 run to close the game.
Brooklyn Meyer led the way for the Jacks with 17 points and six rebounds. Timmer poured in 16 points and Paige Meyer had 12 rebounds, five rebounds and five assists. Vasecka had 12 points. Mesa Byom grabbed six rebounds.
Ennis led Rice with 16 points while Ngulefac had 12 points and seven rebounds and Shelby Hayes had 11 points and five rebounds. Hailey Adams had six points, nine rebounds and four assists and Jazzy Owens-Barnett had six points and four rebounds.
SDSU shot 44.3 percent from the floor and was 5-of-16 (31.3%) on 3-pointers. The Jacks were also 6-of-10 (60%) from the free throw line.
Rice shot 40.6 percent including 4-for-15 (26.7%) on 3-pointers. The Owls went 7-for-9 (77.8%) from the charity stripe.
Rice had 13 turnovers to SDSUs 11 and the but the Owls out-rebounded the Jacks 41-36.
With a win under their belt, the Jacks will return to Brookings for their first regular season home game in First Bank & Trust Arena when they host Creighton on Friday at 6 p.m.
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