Once Rice Basketball got out in front, they never looked back rolling past Florida Atlantic in a battle of the Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse.
A Niccolo Moretti layup opened the scoring in favor of Florida Atlantic, but the meager two-point advantage would be the biggest for the visitors for the rest of the night. Rice basketball quickly flipped the game in their favor with consecutive baskets, seizing a more firm grasp on the game when Trae Broadnax delivered back-to-back threes just before the first media timeout.
Florida Atlantic was able to score at a decent clip, but was unable to keep up with the Owls’ torrid 47 percent shooting pace in the first half. Rice would take leads of 11 and later 13 points going into halftime, pushing Florida Atlantic to the brink early in the contest.
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Nick Anderson would open the second half with a layup, pushing the Owls’ lead to 15 where it would hove for the next few minutes before Florida Atlantic made their run, eventually getting back within three on the heels of a 12-2 burst then tying the game minutes later at 66 apiece.
Deadlocked with 6:30 to play Rice made the plays when it mattered most, riding the hot hand of Jalen Smith, who scored seven points in a row for Rice, building Rice a seven-point cushion in the final minute, enough to secure the win. Rice Basketball improves to 11-14 with the victory. The Owls are 7-6 at Tudor Fieldhouse this season.
Final Box | Rice 81, FAU 73
Key takeaway | My Ball
Rice basketball did a lot of things well against Florida Atlantic on Wednesday night, but it was the care the showed with the basketball which stood out the most. The Owls registered just one turnover on their way to a 13-point halftime lead, finishing the game with five total turnovers in 40 minutes, their lowest mark in a game so far this season.
The scariest moments for Rice in the second half came during a 12-2 run for Florida Atlantic. Rice contributed with two turnovers during that stretch. A flawless turnover performance isn’t feasible, but days like this help mask cold shooting stretches and other missed opportunities along the way.