A big day from Nick Anderson and physicality in the paint propelled Rice Basketball to a gutty road win over Temple on Sunday.
An inside-out approach staked Rice basketball to a strong early position on the road against Temple on Sunday. Stephen Giwa scored the first six points of the game for the Owls who took their first lead moments later on a three from guard Nick Anderson. The two sides would trade scoring bursts through the remainder of the first half, with Rice trailing by a single point heading into locker room at halftime.
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Neither side was able to grab a sizable advantage after the break, but Rice did manage to pull just ahead right around the midpoint of the half and stay there. Jalen Smith’s three with 11:31 to play took the lead away from Temple who would not regain it for the remainder of the game, although things would get close on several occasions.
When it mattered most, though, Rice made enough of their free throws (14-of-19) to close things out, battling through foul trouble for their bigs in the process. Rice Basketball improves to 12-17 with the win. The Owls are 5-9 away from Tudor Fieldhouse this season.
Final Box | Rice 80, Temple 74
Key takeaway | Going Inside
The three ball and prodigious plays from their guards has been the recipe for Rice basketball on offense so far this season. And while the Owls did get contributions from those players, it was the big men that rose to the occasion.
Stephen Giwa and Jimmy Oladokun combined for 10 first half points, controlling the spacing on the interior and keying an offensive philosophy that focused on winning in the paint. Rice scored 20 points in the paint in the first half alone, more than double the eight total paint points the Owls scored in their most recent game against South Florida — Rice had 22 point paints against Tulane, but Giwa and Oladokun scored none of them.
The Owls’ finished with 36 points in the paint, getting 8 from Giwa, 4 from Oladokun and 6 from Andrew Akuchie, in addition to a strong second half showing from Trae Broadnax to help close things out.
Up Next: at North Texas (Wed. Mar. 4 at 7:00 pm)