Rice basketball wraps up the regular season on Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse. Here’s a preview of the men against UTEP and women against Old Dominion.
Time: Mar. 7 at 1:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSATV
UTEP 16-14 (7-10), Last 5 (3-2)
- 67-62 (L) vs WKU
- 71-61 (L) vs Marshall
- 68-62 (W) vs Rice
- 75-56 (W) vs Southern Miss
- 60-56 (W) at Middle Tennessee
Rice 15-15 (7-10), Last 5 (3-2)
- 73-70 (L) vs Old Dominion
- 70-54 (W) vs Charlotte
- 68-62 (L) at UTEP
- 77-66 (W) vs Middle Tennessee
- 72-57 (W) at Southern Miss
UTEP statistical leaders
- Scoring | Bryson Williams – 17.9 per game
- Rebounds | Bryson Williams- 7.0 per game
- Assists | Jordan Lathon – 2.9 per game
- Steals | Jordan Lathon – 1.1 per game
- Blocks | Bryson Williams – 0.8 per game
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Trey Murphy – 13.5 per game
- Rebounds | Drew Peterson – 6.7 per game
- Assists | Drew Peterson – 3.5 per game
- Steals | Drew Peterson – 1.0 per game
- Blocks | Trey Murphy – 0.6 per game
Rice keys to victory
UTEP beat Rice in each of the previous meetings between the teams this season, but neither came in dominant fashion. The Miners won 72-64 in Houston and 68-62 at home. The common theme in both contests was clutch play down the stretch from UTEP. Both of these were one-possession games with five minutes to play. By the time the clock had ticked down to the final seconds, Rice had resorted to fouling to extend the game.
Rice didn’t shoot particularly well from three in either game, particularly in the waning moments when they need the shots most. It’s hard to beat any team three times and Rice has played well enough to hang with UTEP so far. Buckling down and playing a cliched “full 40 minutes” should help Rice clinch the No. 11 seed in the Conference USA Basketball Tournament.
Time: Mar. 7 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
TV: CUSATV
Old Dominion 24-5 (14-3), Last 5 (3-2)
- 71-66 (W) vs North Texas
- 63-59 (L) at Charlotte
- 64-54 (W) at Marshall
- 60-49 (W) vs FAU
- 64-61 OT (L) vs UAB
Rice 20-8 (15-2), Last 5 (4-1)
- 62-51 (L) at Charlotte
- 69-66 (W) vs North Texas
- 74-65 (W) at UAB
- 73-60 OT (W) at Louisiana Tech
- 82-59 (W) vs UTEP
Old Dominion statistical leaders
- Scoring | Taylor Edwards – 11.9 per game
- Rebounds | Amari Young – 5.3 per game
- Assists | Taylor Edwards – 3.4 per game
- Steals | Amari Young – 2.2 per game
- Blocks | Marie Reichert – 1.3 per game
Rice statistical leaders
- Scoring | Erica Ogwumike – 19.0 per game
- Rebounds | Erica Ogwumike – 7.8 per game
- Assists | Jasmine Smith – 3.0 per game
- Steals | Sydne Wiggins – 1.8 per game
- Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.1 per game
Rice keys to victory
Not much went right when Rice women’s basketball lost to Old Dominion earlier this season. The loss snapped a historic 30-game conference winning streak. Rice fell behind early, had Sydne Wiggins foul out down the stretch and turned the ball over 14 times. Even with their miscues, Rice managed to rally from a six-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime.
Keeping the core starters out of foul trouble and locking down on defense will make this rematch even more tantalizing. The winner of Saturday’s game clinches the No. 1 seed in the Conference USA Basketball Tournament.
