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Rice Women’s Basketball falls to USF in 3OT

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Rice Women’s Basketball led for more than 40 minutes but couldn’t close out the game, eventually falling to South Florida on the road.

Aniah Alexis didn’t play the first time Rice women’s basketball met USF on the hardwood this season. The freshman guard has become a fixture in the Owls’ rotation in the games since, starting the last five games and setting the tone for the Owls on the road against the Bulls on Wednesday.

Alexis scored 10 of the Owls’ first 11 points firing at a perfect 5-for-5 mark from the field in the first half as she paced the team to a halftime advantage against one of the top teams in the AAC. She kept those efforts rolling into the third quarter, helping Rice build a double-digit lead on the road.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Defense

South Florida would fire back slowly working their deficit to three points then one point with two minutes to play in regulation. The game appeared won when Rice stymied South Florida on a final possession but a failed inbounds pass with 2.4 seconds to go resulted in a turnover. South Florida would hit a three at the buzzer to force overtime.

Each side had their chance to steal the win in extra. South Florida settled for a long three to end the first overtime which was off the mark. Rice drew up a better luck for Sussy Ngulefac who couldn’t get it to roll in at the buzzer. Finally, South Florida drained a long three in triple overtime that Rice couldn’t answer. Rice falls to 12-12 on the season with the loss.

Final Box | USF 82, Rice 77 (3OT)

Key takeaway | A third option emerges

For much of this season the offense has lived and died on the efforts of Malia Fisher and Dominique Ennis. On nights when that tandem was firing on all cylinders the Owls were hard to beat. When either had a mortal evening, the offense started to crumble.

Sussy Ngulefac and Shelby Hayes have flashed at times, Victoria Flores has had some exception outings, but Rice women’s basketball hasn’t truly found someone who can be that dominant third scorer. Could Alexis be the one they’ve been waiting for all this time?

In addition to Wednesday’s banner night — Alexis finished with 20 points, 6 boards — the freshman had already spiked with a 12-point game against North Carolina A&T and 13 points against East Carolina. She’s shown the ability to score in bunches previously. Can she become a more consistent scoring option as she continues to develop in her first year on campus?

If she can, there might be hope for this offense to take another step down the stretch. The Owls certainly need someone to step up and Alexis made a very loud case to be that person with this kind of performance at USF.

Up Next: vs Wichita State (Sat, 2/15)

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 196 – Rice Football Signing Day and Winter Recap

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A lot has transpired on South Main the past several weeks. Here’s our take on National Signing Day, the Rice Football coaching staff and more.

A lot has happened since we handed out The Roosties, our annual Rice Football postseason awards. From National Signing Day to a brand new coaching staff, here’s the latest on the Owls and a few thoughts on what could be next around South Main.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 196.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

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Rice Football News and National Signing Day Recap

  • Head coach Scott Abell finalizes coaching staff
  • JUCO waiver news and the departure of Dean Connors
  • Takeaways from 2025 Rice Football Signing Class
  • The State of the Quarterback Room
  • Positions of need?
  • How do we evaluate this class?

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Comeback comes up short for Rice Basketball against UNT

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Rice Basketball rallied from a double-digit second half deficit to tie the game late against North Texas but came up short in the final minutes.

North Texas jumped out to an early lead at Tudor Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening, this time though, Rice basketball was ready to respond. The Owls overcame the quick early deficit with a pair of threes from Denver Anglin to net the score at seven. Unlike the last time these two met — a North Texas blowout — Rice was poised to trade blows with one of the AAC’s frontrunners.

Despite their rally, Rice found themselves playing from behind, but never by a margin that seemed insurmountable. Incredible effort from Jacob Dar and strong play in the paint from Caden Powell paced the scoring while the defensive effort was a few rebounds away from heroic.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Offense

The North Texas lead would grow to as many as 11 but the Owls’ never let things get out of hand because of that defense. Which responded to that big lead by forcing North Texas to miss 10 of its next 11 shots from the field, opening the door just wide enough for Rice to get back into the game.

Trae Broadnax hit a layup with 1:15 to play, bring the teams level for the first time since the opening moments of the game but that would be the end of the Owls’ points for the evening. The Mean Green closed things out on a 6-0 run, surviving with the win.

Final Box | UNT 67, Rice 61

What They’re Saying

“This was a game that, without question, the engagement and competitive spirit was there throughout the game. If we continue to play the way we’re playing, it’s just about learning how to finish. There is a trajectory there that is pleasing. Now, from there, how do we get better? You can’t take anything for granted, but sometimes, when you’re not getting the outcome, you can still get better, and I do feel that way about this group. I’ve said to these guys that if we were going to break, we would have been broken by now. So, that is off the table. Now, it’s just a matter of finding that breakthrough.” – Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | In progress

It’s been a long time since Rice basketball faced off with North Texas on the hardwood. That game was a Mean Green onslaught, a 22-point victory that was never really close. That defeat kicked off an extended losing streak that stretched to seven consecutive defeats before Rice finally got back in the win column against East Carolina.

That ECU win put Rice basketball beyond the win total from a season ago, but even in the span of losses that surrounded it, this version of the program couldn’t be more different from the one that struggled through the 2023-2024 season.

The average margin of defeat against conference opponents in the regular season a year ago was 12.5 points. Yes, the average loss was by double-digits. The median mark was 11 points, so it’s not as if a few blowouts were skewing that number.

This year the average margin of defeat in AAC losses is 5.4 points, half last year’s total. The median margin is three points. Nobody likes to lose, but it’s unmistakable these losses are representative of a team making progress. The next step is converting that progress into wins.

Up Next: at Tulane (Sat, Feb. 15)

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Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking Down the 2025 Signees – Defense

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The 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class includes several hand-picked impact players on defense and special teams. Here’s how those sides of the ball stacks up.

The 2025 Rice football recruiting class began with 12 signees during the Early Signing Period, the first recruiting haul for new head coach Scott Abell. That group has since been supplemented by a wave of transfers and an additional round of high school signees on National Signing Day. Of those players, 22 are current high school seniors, and 13 play on the defensive side of the ball as well as one specialist.

“It’s an exciting time for me,” Abell said upon welcoming his first signees in December. “These are my very first recruits that I have the opportunity to welcome here to Rice. I just can’t imagine anything better.”

When it came time to put a bow on that class in February, Abell remained just as emphatic. “Attracting the right recruits here, the right people [is] imperative. It’s the most important thing we do,” he said while introducing the class. “That means Year 1, the first opportunity to do that, it becomes incredibly important that we get make sure that we get the people part of that right.”

We’ve gone position by position breaking down each of those new people, dissecting how these Owls will help the program on the field.

* Denotes players who enrolled early in January

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Defensive Line (5) – Rob Rooks*, Braden Bays, Luca Akirtava, Dillan Botts*, DeReyon Jenkins

One of the most athletic members of the class, Rob Rooks was the lone defensive signee in the trenches in December. A former two-way player who was named all-league on both sides of the ball as a junior, Rooks’ focus on South Main will be getting to the quarterback, something he excelled in during his high school career. “He moves well,” Abell said of the 6-foot-1, 261-pound Rooks, “he’s got great size.”

The Rooks’ addition was the tip of the iceberg at a spot head coach Abell was emphatic about getting more bodies. “I think winning football in the trenches is the most important thing,” Abell said. “And we will focus on that year in and year out and that shows up in this recruiting class.”

The Owls picked a pledge from defensive tackle Dillan Botts from Mary Hardin-Baylor in January, adding him to the fold in time for the spring semester. Weeks later they signed Luca Akirtava and Braden Bays, a pair of talented and versatile high school additions who each bring a long list of accolades with them to South Main,

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Bays racked up 60 tackles for a loss in his high school career, finishing with 10 sacks his senior season. Akirtava was the 5-5A District 1 Defensive MVP this past season, racking up seven sacks and 12 quarterback hurries.

In addition to those additions, Rice also signed edge player DeReyon Jenkins, rounding out one of the most extensive National Signing Day hauls for the team at any position. Also a powerlifter in high school, Jenkins brings more than 200 career tackles to South Main.

Defensive lineman Ejike Adele was not formally introduced because he has not officially enrolled, but the former Bushnell Cup winner as the best defensive player in the Ivy League is set to join Rice football after his graduation from Dartmouth this spring.

Linebacker (2) – Ty Thames, CJ Witten

Jon Kay is going to have his work cut out for him in a good way this spring. In addition to being named the defensive coordinator during the offseason and assuming addition responsibilities, he has a linebacker room stacked with talent and flush with new faces.

The Owls will lose a few key leaders at the position to graduation but already have a promising young core in the middle of the field. And that’s before adding Ty Thames and CJ Witten to the room.

Both Thames and Witten have something in common which Abell made sure to call out in his comments during his introductory remarks about the class on Wednesday, both are still playing in their respective high school playoffs.

“As we begin this new era, we want to surround the program with kids who are used to competing at a high level,” Abell said, “Certainly this class speaks to that.”

Witten is the son of former All-Pro tight end Jason Witten, his current coach for Liberty Christian in Westlake, Texas.

Corner (3) – Jerrick Harper*, Omari Porter*, Ahran Ogbor

Abell wasn’t as explicit about the need for reinforcements in the secondary, but Rice brought in more transfers on the back end of the defense than anywhere else this offseason, grabbing from three different areas to supplement rooms that lost a lot of players to graduation and the Transfer Portal.

As far as transfers go, both Omari Porter from Stanford and JUCO signee Jerrick Harper have already enrolled and will participate in spring ball. Porter has experience at safety and corner, giving him a level of versatility that’s always been necessary of players in this defensive scheme. The plan as of now is to play him at corner, a position where he spent most of his time with the Cardinal.

More: Breaking down the Offensive signees in the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class

Unlike Porter, Harper and Ahran Ogbor will have more than one year to make their mark on South Main. Harper was a standout corner at the junior college level whereas Ogbor comes to Rice as one of the most productive two-way players the Owls have signed in some time.

Ogbor was an All-District 6A selection at a quarterback and running back this season in addition to playing defense, where he broke up four passes and was credited with 15 tackles. At 6-foot, 203 pounds he has the requisite frame and speed to excel as an outside corner at the collegiate level once he’s fully transitioned to the defensive side of the ball.

Ogbor’s addition lines up with one of the other key aspects Abell stressed with this signing class: speed.

“When you look at the athletes that we were able to attract here, the common thread is speed,” Abell said. I think it’s important to put players on the field who can run at all levels on both sides and I think we did a great of doing that.”

Safety (3) – Michael Amey III*, Jo Chavez*, Max Lofy*

“Versatile” was the word Abell used to describe Michael Amey III, something Rice fans familiar with the defensive scheme the Owls have run under Brian Smith know all too well. Being able to move around the formation and play multiple different spots is crucial for this scheme and with Smith officially being retained as the Owls’ defensive coordinator, keeping Amey in the fold was a crucial development.

Amey arrives at South Main with 10 interceptions during his high school career. The Owls hope to leverage that propensity toward taking away the football to their advantage in the years to come. He’ll be joined by Jo Chavez and Max Lofy, a pair of Transfer Portal additions who enrolled this semester.

Chavez comes to Rice from the junior college level while Lofy is a fifth-year player from Wisconsin. Lofy was mentioned by name a couple of times in Abell’s introductory remarks about the class, appearing to be someone Abell was particularly excited about getting to campus.

More: Biggest Roster Questions for Rice Football Entering the Spring

As for Chavez, he’s already been listed as a VIPER on the Rice roster, presumably setting him to compete for the backup role behind returning veteran Plae Wyatt at the position.

Altogether, that’s two graduates, two junior college players and two high school additions in the secondary alone. Rice returns two starters there, Max Ahoia and Plae Wyatt, but the odds suggest at least a few of these new faces will have to be heavily involved this season if this defense is going to continue to operate at a high level. This will be a group to watch this spring.

Specialists (1) – Chase Allen (Kicker)*

With Tim Horn departing, Rice football was in search of a kicker to compete with Enoch Gota this coming season. They landed on Alabama and UTSA transfer Chase Allen. While with the Roadrunners, Allen led the AAC in field-goal percentage (13-of-15, 87 percent) and ranked Top 15 in the country during the 2023 season.

Allen was replaced in 2024 after a 4-for-9 start, oddly enough attempting one his final kicks of the season against the Owls at Rice Stadium in October; it was no good.

Getting someone with Allen’s experience who has been extremely productive at the position previously is huge for the Owls who have struggled for several years when it comes to field goal accuracy. Getting him back to his 2023 form would be a huge boost for the Rice special teams.

** This piece has been updated to reflect new signees as of 2/5/2025 **
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Texans, Trenches and Speed: Scott Abell introduces 2025 Rice Football Recruiting Class

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class is in the books and head coach Scott Abell couldn’t be more excited about this newest crop of Owls.

Inking the 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class has been top of mind for head coach Scott Abell since he was hired roughly two months ago. Abell is still in the process of moving and only recently got his car to Houston, joking about this nomadic life over the last few weeks that centered around Rice Football and this incoming group of athletes.

“Year one, for everyone, you’re really laying a foundation for what it’s going to look like moving forward and you’re creating the energy behind that,” Abell said. “The most important resource behind all those things are people and the most important people in our program are the athletes. Attracting the right recruits here, the right people [is] imperative. It’s the most important thing we do.”

Abell was formally able to introduce those athletes on Thursday, officially welcoming 10 new signees to bring his 2025 class total to 22 high school players and eight transfers with room for a few more at the conclusion of the spring semester. Those adds get the Owls’ roster near 100 players for spring ball and, Abell hopes, will set his staff and this program up for success.

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In Abell’s eyes, the defining characteristics of this class are three fold. First and foremost, the group includes 17 Texas High School Football players, underscoring Abell’s adamant declaration that starting with local talent from the state’s established programs will be the bedrock for this program.

Then, when it came to descriptors of the types of players in that group, Abell pointed to two things: the trenches and team speed.

“We desperately were in need of adding depth and building for the future up front on both sides,” Abell remarked. “I think winning football in the trenches is the most important thing and we will focus on that year and year out and that shows up in this recruiting class.”

The Owls signed 11 such players: five high school offensive lineman, one transfer offensive linemen, four high school defensive linemen (counting rush end DeReyon Jenkins Jr.) and one transfer on that side. Rice also holds commitments from one more transfer in each group which should arrive in the summer.

As for speed, the phrase “who can really run” was repeated when describing multiple players and position groups. “I think it’s important to put players on the field who can run at all levels on both sides,” Abell said. “I think we did a great job of doing that.”

Spring football is just a few weeks away. Soon enough, Abell and his staff will get to see what these players look like inside the white lines on South Main. Even as much as Abell admittedly adores speed, that day can’t come quickly enough.

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