Rice Basketball led Memphis at halftime but couldn’t close things out after the break, falling at home to the Tigers.
Memphis scored first, but it was Rice basketball that proved to be the aggressor in the early portions of the Owls’ showdown with the Tigers at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. Back-to-back three pointers from Nick Anderson and Jalen Smith put Rice in front with a small lead, which would grow to as many as 13 points following a 15-2 run, roughly halfway through the first half.
Down but not out, Memphis would regroup and battle back, tying the game in the final minute before the break. A Trae Broadnax free throw put Rice in front by one, but the battle was officially on.
MORE: Rice Basketball Midseason State of the Program
Another volley of threes, this time from Smith and Cam Carroll, put Rice in front by seven just after halftime before Memphis surged in front. For the remainder of the contest, it was Rice chipping away at a modest Memphis lead, which never exceeded eight points.
The Owls got back within two with 2:04 to play, but couldn’t close the gap any further, missing out on what would have been a massive upset win for the program. Rice Basketball falls to 6-9 with the loss. The Owls are 5-3 at Tudor Fieldhouse this season.
Final Box | Memphis 76, Rice 70
Key takeaway | A Seasons Worth of Almosts
Had a few bounces gone another way, Rice basketball very well could have beaten Memphis on Saturday afternoon. They really were that close. Instead, it’s a close loss to a good team, a familiar refrain for a Rice program that has struggled to get over the hump this season.
Rice was not competitive after halftime against Tennessee or Tulsa. Other than that, they’ve been competitive against the best of the best teams on their schedule. They gave Oregon a scare, dropped a pair of overtime contests at Coconut Hoops to Kennesaw State and FGCU and had chances late in losses to SFA and Tarleton State. The common thread in all those games? Losses.
More often than not, this team plays competitive basketball but they haven’t finished against the better teams on their schedule. That’s a learned skill, but time is ticking on the season and there isn’t much more time to figure things out.
Up Next: at Wichita State (Wed, Jan. 7 at 6:30 pm)
