Rice Basketball suffered another last-minute loss in conference play, this time falling to Tulane on a buzzer-beating three.
An early onslaught of three-pointers from Jacob Dar announced Rice basketball’s arrival in New Orleans for a Saturday afternoon battle. Dar’s three consecutive triples gave Rice a seven-point edge and kept the visiting Owls in the driver’s seat of this game until the Green Wave finally got going with an 11-0 run to close the half and take their first lead of the contest.
More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Offense
Following a Rice-dominated start, Tulane the next chunk of game time but just like the Owls before them, struggled to build meaningful separation between the two teams. Rice would finally break through with six minutes to go on an 8-0 run driven almost entirely by Dar and Caden Powell.
After one lead change in the first 34 minutes, the leading team swapped six times down the stretch. Tied at 78, Rice looked to have the final shot only to have it knocked away with less than three seconds to play. Tulane collected the ball, rifled it up the court and hit a long three at the buzzer to snatch the win, handing the Owls a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds.
Final Box | Tulane 81, Rice 78
FINAL | Tulane 81, @RiceMBB 78 pic.twitter.com/y0RjPyrdo2
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) February 15, 2025
Key takeaway | The emergence of Jacob Dar
The continued emergence of Jacob Dar as Rice basketball progresses through conference play has been a sight to behold. The transfer forward registered his first double-digit game in January against North Texas. He’s scored in double-digits seven times in his next 10 games, including a season-best 21 points against Tulane which led all Owls in scoring.
Along the way, Dar tallied a career-best six three-pointers (on 6-for-7 shooting) and six blocks. He’s made eight straight starts and has become more integral to the Owls’ identity on both sides of the court with each passing game. Rice basketball needs gamebreakers to get over the hump and turn some of these close losses into big wins. Dar has that potential.
Up Next: vs UAB (Wed, Feb. 19)
