Rice basketball opened AAC play with a win, snapping a longstanding program losing streak to Tulsa in the process.
When the final buzzer sounded, Rice basketball clinched its first win over Tulsa since 2006, snapping a losing streak that had stretched to 17 games against the Golden Hurricane. These two teams had only met twice since the Owls joined the American a season prior, but even when the two shared Conference USA a decade ago, this program had historically gotten the better of Rice more often than not.
That previous meeting between these two teams last February had been decided in overtime. Wednesday’s New Year’s Day affair didn’t get to extra minutes, but the narrow margin throughout the contest certainly suggested that was in the realm of outcomes.
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A 10-0 Rice run put the Owls in front by seven right off the bat, but Tulsa retook the lead going into the break before the teams traded small advances through the midpoint of the second half. It wasn’t until back-to-back buckets from Denver Anglin put Rice up by five with roughly eight minutes to play that the Owls had a lead that felt substantive again.
Tulsa would push back, cutting their deficit to one, but the final rally was delivered by the the visiting Owls. Caden Powell kicked off a decisive 7-0 spurt in the final two minutes with Jacob Dar delivered a pair of clutch free throws to give Rice an eight-point cushion with 26 seconds to go, securing the victory.
Final Box | Rice 70, Tulsa 64
FINAL | @RiceMBB 70, Tulsa 64 pic.twitter.com/VghYc9cAmX
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) January 1, 2025
What They’re Saying
“We said that the game was going to be close throughout. At some point, there was going to be a breaking point for the tougher team. We felt like there was going to come a point in the latter part of the second half when the tougher team was going to distinguish themselves. We expected it to be a close, hard-fought game. There was a point where we got a little bit of separation. We made some poor decisions, which gave (Tulsa) some confidence and momentum. But, all-in-all, we showed some grit when it mattered.” – Rice basketball head coach Rob Lanier
Key takeaway | More than a win
The victory was just the seventh win for Rice basketball over Tulsa in program history, a history that includes 37 meetings. Tulsa might not be Memphis or Houston, but the Golden Hurricane have more or less always been better than Rice on the hardwood outside of a 3-0 stretch in the series by Rice during the 2004-2005 seasons. Outside of that, Rice had one other win against Tulsa in this millennium.
That’s important not to denigrate Rice basketball past, but to underscore the progress being made by Ron Lanier and this roster in his first season on South Main. It’s been bumpy and imperfect, but this team is making strides, starting by beating a team they’ve historically rarely beaten.
Up Next: vs Charlotte (Sat, Jan. 4)
