Rice basketball trade blows with crosstown rival Houston in the early goings, but couldn’t sustain it for 40 minutes against the No. 3 Cougars.
Wednesday night’s battle of intracity foes started off with an exchange of long-range shots. Houston connected on the first three. Then Travis Evee drained one for Rice basketball. Then Houston hit another and the Owls responded with a pair, one apiece from Alem Husenovic and Mekhi Mason, to take their first lead of the evening. It wouldn’t last long.
Trailing 9-8, Houston went on a 22-4 run in the middle portions of the first half. The Rice defense had held its own early, but offensive turnovers and foul trouble for Max Fiedler put the Owls in peril rather quickly.
With Fiedler on the bench, Houston went on the attack. The Coogs took a 16-point lead into the half and opened the second frame on a 9-2 run. Their advantage continued to balloon from that point onward, cresting to 39 points at one point, unofficially putting this game far beyond the Owls’ reach.
Houston entered this game as the No. 3 team in the nation. It was going to take a perfect game to have a chance for Rice to keep pace with this team. The Owls didn’t come close.
Final Box | Houston 75 – Rice 39
FINAL | UH 75 – @RiceMBB 39 pic.twitter.com/o7BBmav5lE
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) December 7, 2023
Key takeaway | Max or Bust?
It’s possible no college basketball player means more to their program at this very moment than Max Fielder does to Rice basketball. The veteran big man is one of the best facilitators in the sport and the key cog that makes the Owls’ offense go. So when he picked up his third foul midway through the first half — a half in which he only played six minutes — alarm bells had to be sounding in head coach Scott Pera’s head.
The offense without Fiedler on the floor was not nearly as effective. That’s to be expected, but it’s also something Rice probably needs to have a better solution for moving forward. Rather than funneling the ball through the top of the key, movement was pushed toward the edges and it felt like Rice was settling for shots rather than taking the most opportune chances.
Frankly, the simple reality could be this team probably isn’t nearly as dangerous when Fiedler is off the court. But given the number of shooters they have and the players capable of creating opportunities for others, that doesn’t feel like it out to be the case. The offense might be different, but it should still work. For better or worse, Rice basketball got some practice with that scenario Wednesday night.
Up Next: vs Incarnate Word – Dec. 13 (Wed.)
