Rice basketball stayed perfect in Conference USA play last weekend. Both the men and the women look to build on 2-0 starts against UTEP.
Time: Jan. 8 at 8:00 p.m. CT and Jan. 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Venue: Don Haskins Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Jan. 8 – CUSAtv | Jan. 9 – ESPN+
UTEP 5-3 (1-1), Last 5 (3-2)
- 61-69 (L) at Arizona
- 76-63 (W) at Arizona State
- 79-59 (W) vs Benedectine
- 66-74 OT (L) at Southern Miss
- 77-62 (W) at Southern Miss
UTEP statistical leaders
- Scoring | Souley Boum – 19.4 per game
- Rebounds | Bryson Williams – 8.1 per game
- Assists | Jamal Bieniemy – 5.6 per game
- Steals | Souley Boum – 1.9 per game
- Blocks | Tydus Verhoeven – 0.8 per game
Rice 8-2 (2-0), Last 5 (4-1)
- 61-72 (L) vs New Mexico
- 90-79 (W) vs Houston Baptist
- 73-62 (W) vs New Orleans
- 95-86 (W) vs UTSA
- 84-69 (W) vs UTSA
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 18.0 per game
- Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.5 per game
- Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.0 per game
- Steals | Travis Evee – 1.4 per game
- Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.8 per game
Rice keys to victory
UTEP’s win over Arizona State is one of the best wins from a Conference USA program this season, but the Miners did not impress this past weekend against Southern Miss. The talent looks to be there for this squad, but the consistency is not. Which UTEP team will Rice face this weekend? That could make a significant difference in the result.
For Rice, they’ll have to do a better job defending Souley Boum. In three games against the Owls last year Boum scored 27, 16 and 25 points respectively. If he has a big game, Rice is going to have to match him, at the very least.
Time: Jan. 8 at 1:00 p.m. CT and Jan. 9 at 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Jan. 8 – CUSAtv / Jan. 9 – Not televised
UTEP 5-2 (2-0), Last 5 (3-2)
- 81-73 OT (W) at New Mexico State
- 65-68 (L) at Utah State
- 75-83 (L) at Northern Arizona
- 83-65 (W) vs Southern Miss
- 74-72 (W) vs Southern Miss
UTEP statistical leaders
- Scoring | Katia Gallegos – 17.4 per game
- Rebounds | Michelle Pruitt – 5.7 per game
- Assists | Katia Gallegos – 5.0 per game
- Steals | Katia Gallegos – 2.3 per game
- Blocks | DejaNae Roebuck – 0.7 per game
Rice 6-1 (2-0), Last 5 (4-1)
- 81-62 (W) at Texas Tech
- 83-51 (W) vs Louisiana
- 53-57 (L) at No. 10 Texas A&M
- 78-53 (W) at UTSA
- 69-57 (W) at UTSA
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 15.7 per game
- Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 6.4 per game
- Assists | Sydne Wiggins and Jasmine Smith – 4.1 per game
- Steals | Jasmine Smith – 1.7 per game
- Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 2.4 per game
Rice keys to victory
UTEP isn’t one of the big powers in women’s C-USA hoops, but they’re not going to roll over either. Led by preseason All C-USA guard Katia Gallegos, UTEP is going to look to shoot at a sturdy clip against a solid Rice defensive unit.
Ultimately, it could come down to Nancy Mulkey and company’s ability to keep Gallegos contained. If she’s not able to produce, it’s going to be hard for the Miners’ secondary and tertiary options to make these games competitive.
