DALLAS – Rice guard Erica Ogwumike was selected by the New York Liberty in the third round of the 2020 WNBA Draft Friday. The back-to-back Conference USA Player of the Year became the second pick of the third round, 26^th overall, before being traded to the Minnesota Lynx.

Ogwumike marks C-USA’s first WNBA draft pick since 2017, when Old Dominion guard Jennie Simms was taken in the second round, 18^th overall, by the Washington Mystics. The Cypress, Texas, native is the third Ogwumike sister to be drafted as Nneka and Chiney were both No. 1 selections in 2012 and 2014, respectively. The familial trio is a first for the WNBA.

Ogwumike is a three-time All-Conference USA First Team and two-time All-Defensive Team selection. In just three seasons as an Owl, she became the program’s all-time career leader in scoring average (17.7), while ranking second in rebounding average (10.1) and third in free throw percentage (81.4).

She concluded the 2019-20 season as one of just four active NCAA Division I players with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Her performance earned her WBCA All-America honorable mention, Rice’s first since 2007. Her senior campaign also saw her rank third among all guards in NCAA Division I rebounding (10.3) and 26^th in the country in scoring (19.0). In her final year of conference play, Ogwumike averaged a league-best 21.3 points and 11.6 rebounds, while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 81.6 percent from the free throw line.
 
Ogwumike was named C-USA Player of the Week a league-high four times in 2019-20 and was also deemed a CoSIDA Academic First Team All-American.