Less than 48 hours removed from heartbreaking overtime losses, Rice Basketball bounced back and posted a big win over Oral Roberts at Coconut Hoops.
A grueling week at Coconut Hoops got off to a familiar start on Wednesday with Rice Basketball taking an early lead, this time against Oral Roberts. The Owls scored first and traded baskets with the Golden Eagles for much of the first half before Trade Broadnax earned the team some separation with successive possessions with a three and a jumper that put Rice in front by ten.
Ahead by a decent margin with four minutes to play, Rice was able to keep the margin there with even play from both sides of the court, answering the two field goals Oral Roberts was able to make in the final five minutes of the half, entering intermission with a 12 point advantage.
NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation
Rice really seized control in earnest right out of the break. Jimmy Oladokun kicked off a 12-4 run that put the Owls ahead by 20. A steady barrage of threes and hard earned free throws ensured the advantage was never again distilled to single digits.
Rice Basketball held on to win, improving to 3-6 with the win. The Owls are 1-4 away from Tudor Fieldhouse this season.
Final Box | Rice 81, Oral Roberts 62
What They’re Saying
“That was a good week. It was a great way to cap off what I though was a week of tremendous growth for our team. We played together. We played tough, hard-nosed defense. We didn’t close out the first two games, but I thought we did a great job finishing this game. Our defense really stepped up in the second half.” – Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier
Key takeaway | Bringing the Heat from Deep
Rice basketball shot better than 50 percent from the floor on Wednesday, a welcomed offensive boost from a team that hadn’t quite found its shooting stroke in earnest this season. When combined with a strong defensive effort that kept Oral Roberts in check to the tune of 38 percent from the field, Rice was in a good place. The three-pointers sealed the deal.
Rice tied a season-high with 12 three-pointers getting three each from Broadnax and Jalen Smith and four from Nick Anderson. If Rice can get near that level of production from that trio — and build on early promise from freshman Cam Carroll who scored 10 on 2-for-3 from deep — Rice has the potential to be feisty down the stretch. Good defense with some deep shots will give teams fits. The next step is finding a way to produce that level of play more consistently.
Up Next: vs Texas State (Wed, Dec. 3 at 8:00 pm)
