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Rice Women’s Basketball falls to MTSU in first loss of season

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Rice women’s basketball falls for the first time this season, running out of time in their conference opener against Middle Tennessee.

After posting a sterling 9-0 record through non-conference play, Rice women’s basketball was thrown a tough test in their first Conference USA matchup of the season. The Owls squared off with the 7-2 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Tuesday afternoon with the winner set to climb to the top of the young conference standings.

While neither team came out of the gates shooting particularly well, Middle Tennessee was able to take an early advantage in the first quarter, leading by as many as give points before Rice battled back and finished the first frame up three thanks to a three-pointer by India Bellamy.

Dominque Ennis pushed the Owls’ advantage further in the second, making back-t0-back threes of her own to put Rice up seven before MTSU fought to close the gap to five at halftime. Rice would lead by as many as eight in the third until Middle Tennessee found its shooting stroke. They chipped into the Rice lead through the first before an 11-0 run put Rice firmly in comeback mode in the fourth quarter.

Following a four-minute scoring drought, Rice slowly began to climb back into contention. Ashlee Austin hit a jumper followed soon afterward by eight consecutive makes from the charity stripe as the Owls tied the game with 1:35 to play. Ultimately a Middle Tennesee three followed by a costly Rice turnover would be the difference as Rice found the loss column for the first time this season.

“Wins and losses do definitely happen,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said after the game. “It’s how we respond to this. Do we lay down? Or do we punch back at our next game and say, this is who rice women’s basketball is?”

Rice will play Middle Tennesee again in January, getting another crack at the Blue Raiders in the not-too-distant future.

Spotlight | Malia Fisher

Fisher has developed a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Whether it was a key rebound or a decisive play to the basket, Fisher was everywhere down the stretch, scoring 11 of her team-leading 18 points in the fourth quarter. She also added six rebounds and two assists. This was the third time this season Fisher reached 18 points.

Final Box | MTSU 74 – Rice 68

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball will take a brief holiday break over the course of the next week before they return to conference play towards the end of the year. They’ll host games against Western Kentucky (Thur, Dec. 29), and UTEP (Sat, Dec. 31).

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Rice Football 2022: NFL Owls Week 15 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2022 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 15.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Team NFL Owl(s) Week 15 Result Week 16
Denver Broncos Calvin Anderson (OL)
Elijah Garcia (DL)		 vs Cardinals W, 24-15 at Rams
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) at Jets W, 20-17 at Panthers
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Vikings L, 39-36 (OT) vs Chargers (MNF)
LA Chargers Bryce Callahan (DB)
Christian Covington (DL)		 vs Titans W, 17-14 at Colts
LA Rams Austin Trammell (WR) at Packers (MNF) L, 24-12 vs Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Panthers W, 24-16 vs Raiders
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs 49ers (TNF) L, 21-13 at Chiefs
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs Bengals L, 34-23 at Cardinals

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson returned to a reserve role for the Broncos this week. After making six consecutive starts he played primarily on special teams against the Cardinals.

Kylen Gransen – TE, Colts

Gransen caught two passes for 34 yards on Saturday in the Colts’ Week 15 loss to the Vikings.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett started his seventh consecutive game this weekend. He’s appeared in every game for the Bucs since Week 7.

Austin Trammell – WR, Rams

Trammell has now appeared in three straight games for the Rams. He did not have any receptions on their Monday Night Football appearance this week, but did play on offensive and defensive snaps.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams came through on Thursday Night Football with his first tackle for a loss and his first pass deflection of the season, also playing a season-high number of special teams snaps.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Chargers

Callahan had one tackle in the Chargers’ Week 15 win over the Titans.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington was placed on Injured Reserve after suffering a pec injury in the Chargers’ Week 10 game against the 49ers. He hasn’t played since.

Elijah Gacia – DT, Broncos

The Broncos signed Elijah Garcia to their active roster off the Rams practice squad early last week. He was inactive this week.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted four times on Sunday with a long of 49 yards. He put one ball inside the 20 and average 44.5 yards per punt.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was productive in his second week back after a stint on the injured reserve. He connected on all three of his extra points and his lone field goal try, a 50-yard attempt.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: Owls sweep three-game home slate

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It was a good weekend for Rice basketball, who swept their three-game slate over five days to stay undefeated at Tudor Fieldhouse.

  • Thursday | Rice 92 – North American 54
  • Saturday | Rice 110 – Northwestern State 73
  • Monday | Rice 100 – Jarvis Christian 64

Frankly, Rice basketball took care of business this weekend against teams they should have beaten soundly. To some extent, that’s par for the course, but it was encouraging to see just how quickly they dispatched these three, particularly their Saturday win over Northwestern State.

The Demons entered that game 8-2 with a road win over No. 15 TCU and over the Owls’ former C-USA foe Southern Miss under their belts. Yet Rice romped easily at home.

Quincy Olivari was unstoppable, topping 17 points in all three contests, and he would have had many more had he come close to his normal complement of minutes. Max Fiedler had a double-double against Jarvis Christian and a season-high 22 points against Northwestern State. Travis Evee even got back on track, going 4-for-6 from three on Monday evening, scoring 14 points.

The Owls opened the benches in all three games, getting valuable minutes for younger players who — if past seasons are any indication — might very well be called upon for expanded minutes down the stretch.

Up Next | Full Schedule

Then next time Rice basketball takes the court they’ll be in the thick of Conference USA play. The Owls have already played one conference game, a strange mid-November road tilt against Middle Tennessee, which they lost. Up next after Christmas are road against at Western Kentucky (Thr, Dec. 29) and at UTEP (Sat, Dec. 31).

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Rice Football Recruiting: Former Husker OL Brant Banks commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting has added a Big Ten transfer in the trenches. Former Nebraska offensive lineman Brant Banks has committed to the Owls.

Rice Football recruiting classes have always stressed talent up front, making the addition of at least one veteran offensive lineman a must for the 2023 class. Rice has filled that need with a productive transfer from Nebraska. Houston native Brant Banks has announced he’s coming home and has committed to the Owls.

Banks played his high school ball at Westbury Christian where he played both ways before heading north to the Big Red. He originally chose Nebraska over offers from around the country. He turned down Baylor, Boston College, Cal, Houston, Pitt and Missouri.

After redshirting in 2019, Banks became a key special teams player and offensive line contributor from that point onward. Banks started the 2021 season opener against Illinois and saw extensive action in several other contests.

In addition to his prowess on the football field, Banks actually suited up for the Nebraska men’s basketball team prior to the Big Ten Tournament following the 2019 season. He played three minutes in the Huskers’ first round game against Indiana. A big man that can move is always a plus and Banks’ brief appearance on the hardwood gives evidence he can do just that.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Banks has some high school film available if you want to dig that far back, but the reality is the 6-foot-7, 300-pounder has only grown bigger and stronger since those clips were taken. He’s a Big Ten-caliber blocker who can move people around. That’s a big plus for a Rice offensive line that needs reinforcements. Here’s a clip from the Huskers’ spring media sessions before the season.

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Rice Football Recruiting: TE Matt Hall commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class is making key additions from the Transfer Portal including Truman State’s Matt Hall who has committed to the Owls.

A veteran tight end seemed an obvious candidate for the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class, given how important the position is to the Owls’ offense. With the Early Signing Period just days away, Rice has their man. Truman State grad transfer Matt Hall has committed to the Owls.

Hall comes to Rice after a standout career at Truman State, a Division II program in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. In three seasons, Hall caught 86 passes for 962 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged 11.2 yards per catch and mixed in a few explosive plays, too.

For Hall, Rice was near the top of his list from the start. “There were three things I was looking for,” Hall told The Roost. “A place with great culture, a place that has great academics, and a place that would challenge me on and off the field to be a better player, student, and man. Rice checked every one of those boxes.”

Rice tried to engineer a similar addition at this time last year, landing a commitment from Cal transfer tight end Gavin Reinwald. Unfortunately, Reinwald never saw the field at Rice following a preseason injury. A healthy Hall should ease the burden from starter Jack Bradley and provide the Rice offense with another vertical threat.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

What Rice football saw in Hall becomes pretty clear from a brief glance at his film or a look at his boxscore. He’s fluid in space, can get downfield and make a play after the catch. He’s an aggressive blocker that can fill multiple roles within the Rice offense. He’s going to provide instant production to a position that needed another trustworthy option.

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