The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 2007 Page: 18 of 24
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I
THE RICE THRESHER SPORTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23,2007
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Story by Justin Hudson
Design by Stephen Whitfield
One of the top players in the
country, the senior forward has
the Owls poised for
another run at the postseason.
Of the 120 games she lias
played in her career, in
none of them was senior
forward Lauren Neaves
more dominant than a 70-56 win over
the University of Houston Jan. 21.
She controlled every aspect of the
game, scoring 23 points, pulling down
19 rebounds
and blocking
8 shots. Sure,
Neaves has
scored more
points in a game,
grabbed more
rebounds and
even blocked
as many shots
at least once
during her time
at Rice, but at
no time did the
Owls need her
more. Playing
in front of a
national televi-
sion audience,
decimated by injuries and coming
off a horrendous stretch — the Owls
had lost seven of nine — Rice had
to get a strong performance out of
its senior leader to avoid falling out
of contention in Conference USA.
Neaves delivered, hitting her last six
free-throw attempts down the stretch
to help seal the victory.
Known to get down on herself after
mistakes, Neaves relaxed and was
able to overcome her earlier miscues
at the free throw line — she missed
five of her first six. Fellow senior
forward Samantha Stovall said such
instances have become common as
Neaves has gotten more comfortable
being the team's go-to player.
"She has really tried to not let
[mistakes! affect her as much dur-
ing games, and [she knows] that
she has to score for us to do well,"
Stovall said. # . r, >,
Neaves arrived at Rice in rail
2002 as one of the top players in
the nation. In water polo. In high
school, Neaves never intended
Despite suffering
season-ending
injuries to key players,
the Owls are still in
contention in C-USA. Of
course, Neaves is at
the center of that
success.
to become so committed to the
pool—to her, it was just something to
do in between swimming and basket-
ball — but she soon discovered her
talent. By the time Neaves graduated,
she was a three-time all-American and
Broward County (Fla.) player of the
year in water polo.
Not surpris-
ingly, she was
highly regarded
on the hard-
wood as well.
Neaves aver-
aged a stagger-
ing 28.4 points,
17.4 rebounds
and 7 blocks
per game on her
way to a number
of all-state hon-
ors and a district
championship.
When she came
to Rice, some
observers said
she had the po-
tential to be one of the best post
players ever at the school, but as a
freshman, she could hardly get off
the bench. Neaves came to an Owl
team that was already stacked with
five players in the frontcourt.
Seeing that playing time was going
to come at a minimum, she went to
then-head coach Cristy McKinney
and asked to be redshirted. The
decision meant she would have to
be sidelined an entire season in the
sport she loved the most, but Neaves
knew it was for the best.
"I wanted to use that year to try
to hone my skills and have a little bit
more experience going in," she said.
"I think it really helped a lot."
'Hie time off proved good for
Neaves. She has since become a force
on both sides of the ball, leading the
')wls to new heights and rewriting
the Rice record books in the process.
Neaves has made the all-conference
first or second teams each of the last
three years and seems poised to do
so again this year. She broke Rice's
all-time blocks record as a
sophomore. She became
the school's all-time re-
bound leader — men's
or women's—last week-
end, an impressive feat
given her six-foot, two-inch
frame, which is small for a
forward. The Owls' leading
scorer the last two years, Neaves will
probably finish as the third-highest
scorer in the history of the women's
program.
But perhaps more impressive than
all the individual records is Neaves'
history of winning. Along with fellow
seniors Krystal Frazier and Stovall,
Neaves led the Owls to their second-
ever NCAA tournament appearance
in 2005, as well as two berths in
the Women's National Invitation
Tournament, marking the longest
streak of postseason appearances in
Rice history. This is what Neaves is
most proud of. In fact, she refuses to
contemplate her individual legacy,
saying that she hopes most for one
final trip to the Big Dance.
\
"It would be nice if we made it to the
| NCAA tournament] so that they can
see that we had during my time here
four postseason appearances in a row,"
she said. "Not only would it be a tribute
to me, but [also] to the entire program
and to Krystal and Samantha."
Despite suffering season-end-
ing injuries to sophomore guards
Whitney McCauley and Catherine
Flores, as well as sophomore for-
ward Fmery Carter, the Owls are
still in contention in an extremely
close Conference USA. Of course,
Neaves is at the center of Rice's suc-
cess. She enters the final weekend
of the regular season averaging
16 points and a career-high 11 re-
bounds per outing. Neaves' impact
is especially felt on the defensive
end of the court. She may not
average seven blocks a game like
she did in high school, but she is
still a prolific shot blocker — her
average of 2.17 is good for second
in C-USA this season. Head coach
Greg Williams (Hanszen '70) said
Neaves' shot-blocking makes her a
cornerstone of the Owl defense.
"The blocked shot in women's
basketball is a real weapon," he said.
"There aren't a lot of great shot block-
ers in the women's game, [and] she's
certainly one of them."
Neaves says she focuses more on
her defense and rebounding than on
her offensive game.
"I pride myself on my defense,"
THE LAUREN NEAVES FILE
Year
GP-GS
MPG
FG%
FT%
RPG
Blk.
Stl.
PPG
2003-'04
32-25
22.6
.478
.691
7.2
84
35
10.2
2004-'05
33-31
24.6
.458
.681
9.1
73
22
13.2
2005-'06
32-32
29.3
.468
.800
10.8
73
23
15.7
2006-'07*
23-23
28.6
.530
.738
11.1
50
31
16.0
CAREER
120-111
26.1
.480
.728
9.4
280
111
13.6
* season totals as of Feb. 20, 2007
Career Highs
Stat
Total
Opponent
Date
Points
36
at SMU
Mar. 4, 2006
Minutes
38
at SMU
Jan. 22, 2006
Rebounds
18
vs. Texas Tech
Nov. 21, 2005
Blocks
8
at UAB
Feb. 24, 2006
Steals
4
vs. Boise State
Feb. 7, 2004
Conference Awards
2003-04
•All-WAC first team
2004-05
•All-WAC second team
• WAC tournament MVP
2005-06
• All C-USA first team
-Sir
33S1
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Brown, David. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 2007, newspaper, February 23, 2007; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443177/m1/18/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.