HOUSTON (Interstat) — The surging Rice Owls, one of the nation’s top teams, will look to close their regular season with another victory when they host the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners in an American Athletic Conference women’s basketball matchup Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Rice (26-3, 15-1 AAC) enters the finale riding a nine-game winning streak and has already clinched the top seed for the upcoming conference tournament. The Owls are ranked in the latest AP Top 25 poll and have been dominant at home, boasting a 14-1 record in Houston this season.

The Owls are led by star guard Dominique Ennis, who is averaging 18.4 points per game. She scored 23 points in Rice’s most recent victory, a 63-56 road win at Charlotte on Tuesday. Ennis has scored in double figures in 27 of 29 games this season.

UTSA (13-15, 6-10) arrives in Houston looking to snap a two-game skid and improve its seeding for the AAC tournament. The Roadrunners are coming off a 53-41 home loss to Tulsa on Wednesday, a game in which they shot just 27.9% from the field.

The Roadrunners will rely on guard Ereauna Hardaway, their primary playmaker. Hardaway is averaging 10.8 points and 4.9 assists per game. She recorded 19 points and three assists in a loss at North Texas on Feb. 24 and dished out eight assists in a close loss to South Florida on Feb. 14.

This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Rice won the first matchup 65-55 in San Antonio on Jan. 31. In that game, Ennis led all scorers with 21 points, while Hardaway was held to seven points for UTSA.

For Rice, a victory would solidify its resume for a high seed in the NCAA tournament. For USTA, the game represents a final opportunity to gain momentum and a quality win before the conference tournament begins next week.

Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST at Tudor Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.