Rice Basketball had to rally from behind in the final minutes but found a way to overcome a red-shot shooting Alcorn State at home.
It took Rice basketball a while to get going on Monday evening against Alcorn State. The Owls swapped early leads through the first 10 minutes of play before a 10-3 run gave them some breathing room. They used the remainder of the first half to lengthen that lead, leaning on a combination of three balls from Alem Huseinovic, aggressive plays to the rim, and lots of free throws.
Rice led by nine at the break, but any thoughts of a comfortable nonconference win flew out of the window when Alcorn State matched Huseinovic’s sharpshooting with a flurry of threes of their own. They combined to shoot a staggering 47.6 percent from deep, with three different players knocking down multiple deep balls.
More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview
A 12-0 run by the Braves ensured this would be a dogfight to the very end. The Owls led by 11 before their opponents got hot from the field putting the game in danger of a disastrous result — Alcorn State was 0-11 entering this contest — before Trae Broadnax and Kellen Amos came through with huge shots in the final minutes.
Broadnax got the game back within one with a jumper before Amos put Rice in front for good with a layup with 5.1 seconds to play. Alcorn State missed a long three attempt at the buzzer and Rice escaped with the win.
Final Box | Rice 77, Alcorn State 75
FINAL | @RiceMBB 77, Alcorn State 75 pic.twitter.com/0BnaO114o6
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) December 17, 2024
Key takeaway | Turn up the three
Rice basketball is still finding its form offensively, something head coach Rob Lanier has mentioned on multiple occasions. The defense continues to be stout, Monday’s issues with the three aside, and has been the backbone of most of their wins thus far. In this game they proved they can shoot their way out of trouble, too.
Huseinovic and Anglin led the team in threes coming into this game and continued to add to their advantage on the stat sheet. Huseinvoic (6-for-8) was lights out from deep, humbly crediting his teammates for the big performance. “They found me in open shots and I just knocked them down,” he said post game.
Anglin (3-for-8) made some pivotal threes, as as did Amos, to keep Rice in front when the Owls defense was in a bind.
The best cast scenario remains an elite defensive game interspersed with this kind of inspired shooting. In the mean time, winning ugly is the best way to win.
Up Next: vs UNT-Dallas (Thr, Dec. 19)
