Rice basketball opens up conference play on New Year’s Day. Both the men and the women will play back-to-back games against UTSA.
Time: Jan. 1 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Jan. 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+
UTSA 4-3 (0-0), Last 5 (3-2)
- 66-105 (L) at Oklahoma
- 91-62 (W) vs Sul Ross State
- 61-73 (L) at Oregon State
- 102-70 (W) vs Our Lady of the Lake
- 88-66 (W) vs Lamar
Rice 6-2 (0-0), Last 5 (3-2)
- 94-74 (W) vs LeTourneau
- 86-64 (W) vs Houston Baptist
- 61-72 (L) vs New Mexico
- 90-79 (W) vs Houston Baptist
- 73-62 (W) vs New Orleans
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 18.0 per game
- Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 10.0 per game
- Assists | Max Fiedler – 3.5 per game
- Steals | Travis Evee – 1.6 per game
- Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.6 per game
UTSA statistical leaders
- Scoring | Jhivvan Jackson – 17.0 per game
- Rebounds | Jacob Germany – 6.6 per game
- Assists | Keaton Wallace – 3.4 per game
- Steals | Eric Parrish – 1.6 per game
- Blocks | Jacob Germany – 1.0 per game
Rice keys to victory
UTSA can score. In year’s past, that’s meant Rice needs to match in a shot-for-shot slugfest to come out on top. As good as Quincy Olivari has been shooting, getting more production on the defensive side of the court is more likely to pay off than a high-scoring shootout against Jhivvan Jackson and Co.
For the season, Rice ranks 11th in Conference USA in defensive field goal percentage. If Rice can get that number from where it sits entering the weekend (.424) closer to .400, they’ll have a much better chance to beat UTSA. Balanced basketball will be key.
Time: Jan. 1 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Jan. 2 at 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Convocation Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Jan. 1 – CUSAtv / Jan. 2 – Not televised
UTSA 2-3 (0-0), Last 5 (2-3)
- 80-37 (W) vs Sul Ross State
- 50-60 (L) vs UT Rio Grande Valley
- 63-69 (L) at Incarnate Word
- 73-55 (W) vs Northwestern State
- 47-71 (L) at Sam Houston State
Rice 4-1 (0-0), Last 5 (4-1)
- 83-54 (W) vs Houston Baptist
- 66-54 (W) at Little Rock
- 81-62 (W) at Texas Tech
- 83-51 (W) vs Louisiana
- 53-57 (L) at No. 10 Texas A&M
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 14.2 per game
- Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 8.0 per game
- Assists | Sydne Wiggins – 4.4 per game
- Steals | Jasmine Smith – 2.0 per game
- Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 2.6 per game
UTSA statistical leaders
- Scoring | Adryana Quezada – 16.0 per game
- Rebounds | Adryana Quezada – 11.7 per game
- Assists | Karrington Donald – 4.2 per game
- Steals | Mikayla Woods – 2.6 per game
- Blocks | Mikayla Woods – 0.8 per game
Rice keys to victory
To some extent, Rice women’s basketball is still test driving their rotations and setup for 2021. The Owls have looked extremely sharp on both sides of the court, coming a shot away from upending Top 10 Texas A&M.
Rice does an excellent job of adjusting to what the opponent gives them. So far, they haven’t had to find a consistent scoring threat outside of Nancy Mulkey. A few players have crossed the 15-point bar. Jasmine Smith led the team with 18 points against Texas A&M. Having someone else to go to in crunch time could really put this team over the top.
