MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – A second-half push propelled Rice to a 56-52 win over the Coastal Carolina women's basketball team in the final game of the Carolinas Challenge at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
 
Coastal (7-3) held a slim advantage at the end of the first half, but could not recover from a 15-4 run by Rice (8-3) in the third quarter.
 
The Owls' third-quarter run gave Rice the largest lead of the game at 10 points. The Chants fought back early in the fourth quarter, using an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to just two points, but were ultimately unable to even the margin.
 
DJ Williams scored in double figures for the seventh time this season, knocking down a game-high 17 points. Breelyn Blanding followed with 10 points while hauling in seven rebounds.
 
Rice was led by the 12 points of Nancy Mulkey, the only Owl to score in double digits. Four other Rice players scored eight or more points.
 
Both sides had difficulties shooting, with Rice taking the slight advantage by shooting 38 percent to Coastal's 30 percent. Rebounds were relatively even with the Owls hauling in 56 to the Chants' 52.
 
Neither team was able to gain much of an advantage in the first half as both the Chants and Owls struggled shooting. Coastal made 11 of its 34 first-half attempts, while Rice converted on just eight of 29 shots. Rice held a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter following a stretch of eight unanswered points. That one-point lead flipped to Coastal's side after Williams scored her 10th point of the half right before the halftime buzzer. Williams accounted for five of the Chants' second-quarter points.
 
Coastal's losses to Auburn and Rice in the Carolinas Challenge mark the only consecutive losses for the Chants this season.
 
Next up, the Chants finish off their non-conference schedule with a 2 p.m. game at UNC Greensboro on Dec. 29.