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Rice Women’s basketball comes up short at Gonzaga

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Rice Women’s Basketball traded blows with Gonzaga for four quarters before running out of steam late, falling on the road.

Emily Klaczek and Hailey Adams were determined that Rice women’s basketball would get off on the right foot in their first foray out from the confines of Tudor Fieldhouse. Klazcek got things started with seven first quarter points including a three-pointer to get the Owls back within one-score after a hot start from Gonzaga. Adams had seven in the frame too, becoming the driving force for the team in the early goings.

Adams would lead all scorers in the first half with 13 points, already a season-high. She added six boards along the way, all before the halftime buzzer. Her final basket of the half put Rice ahead of Gonzaga for the first time with 2:28 to go in the second quarter. Gonzaga would take a one-point lead into the half, but thanks to that tandem of Klaczek and Adams, the game was on.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

The lead would exchange hands seven times in the third quarter. Neither side led by more than two possessions and the game was tied twice but it was the visiting Owls in front when the fourth quarter commenced.

Back and forth they went with the lead changing 12 times before the final buzzer sounded and it the outcome of the game hung in the balance until the final minutes. The teams were tied at 64 points apiece with 2:24 to play in the fourth quarter. That’s when Rice missed a few key shots and Gonzaga rolled to a crushing 10-0 run.

The final margin would be just three, representative of a game that truly went down to the wire. Unfortunately for the Owls, they came down on the wrong side.

Final Box | Gonzaga 72, Rice 69

Key takeaway | Missed opportunity

Gonzaga was picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference in the preseason polls. When it comes to building a non-conference resume for a potential NCAA bid, these are the kinds of games you need to win. The Owls came up short.

Malia Fisher still has yet to play this season. Gonzaga had just recently had a streak of 36 consecutive home victories ended last week by Cal. This won’t be an ugly when it comes time for resume comparisons in March, but it’s a missed opportunity all the same.

Over the course of their non-conference slate thus far this team has proven they can hang with anyone. That’s undeniable. But there are only so many opportunities left before AAC play arrives. That sets up an important week ahead in Cancun.

Up Next: vs BYU (Thr. 11/28), vs Vermont (Fri. 11/29)

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Rice Basketball buries Louisiana with late run

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Rice Basketball left no doubt who was the better team on Tuesday night, powering past Louisiana behind a dominant 24-2 run in the second half.

It was hard to reconcile the Rice basketball team which took the court against Louisiana with the one that narrow escaped Houston days prior with an overtime win over Northwestern State. The Owls never got into a groove in that contest, something they made sure to remedy quickly in their next meeting with a squad from the Pelican State.

Rice opened the game on a 17-6 run sparked by a pair of three-pointers from Denver Anglin off the bench. Anglin’s hot start was indicative a team which had finally begun to look comfortable on the offensive side of the court for perhaps the first time this season. He would finish with a career-high 20 points on five threes, setting the tone for what became a dominant Rice win.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

It took some work to get there, though. While Rice basketball led by as many as 11 in the first half, there was a hiccup in the final few minutes, allowing Louisiana to close the frame with a 12-2 run of their own.

Rather than being intimidated or frustrated about the lost lead the Owls their margin no worse than even, arriving at a 50-50 tie with the Ragin’ Cajuns with 13:37 to play. Rice would go on to outscore Louisiana 33-11 from that point onward, including a stretch where the Owls outpaced their foes 24-2.

Buoyed by consistent defense and an encouraging offensive performance, Rice rode the wave to their most decisive victory of the 2024-2025 season thus far. With the win, Rice improves to 4-1.

Final Box | Rice 83, Louisiana 61

Key takeaway | The little things add up

Following a win over Louisiana Monroe, Rice basketball head coach Rob Lanier issued a challenge to his team, crediting their defensive play first while still demanding more. “If you really get good at keep getting the ball the back, then what you do with it matters,” he said.

Yes, Rice shot the ball well tonight. Their 55 percent clip from the floor was their highest mark of the season by more than eight points. But it’s those rebounds that made the biggest difference.

Rice dominated Louisiana at the rim, snagging 45 boards to the Cajuns’ 29. Rice had 33 defensive rebounds. Louisiana had 15. Rice had 12 offensive boards, nearly grabbing more at the rim than their opponents. All those extra opportunities added up. Rice scored 17 second-chance points. When you win by more than 20, those additional chances tend to come into play.

Up Next: at Houston Christian (Fri, Nov. 22)

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Rice Football 2024: UAB presser quotes and depth chart

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Next up for Rice football: UAB. Here’s what interim head coach Pete Alamar had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.

Interim head coach Pete Alamar and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the bye week and then looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with UAB.

More: Rice Football Head Coaching Search — Names to Know ($)

We touch on those items, then dig into the Rice football depth chart and what the team looks like heading into the weekend. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

A team who’s record does not reflect the type of football team they are. First of all, it’s always tough to win on the road but now you’re going there on their senior day… I know they’re a well-coached team. Coach Dilfer and his staff are going to have great gameplans up. You can see it on film, just looking at all three phases. – Interim head coach Pete Alamar on UAB

I’ve had the chance to get to know Coach Dilfer a long time ago back on the West Coast. He’s a former Fresno State Bulldog that went into the league and then started really what became the Elite 11 stuff and all that. Trent is obviously a very good quarterback coach. He’s coached a lot of good young quarterbacks. He’s a guy that [was] an NFL player, was a pro-bowler of his own so you’ve got the opportunity to learn from that knowledge. I think any quarterback would appreciate that opportunity and I think you see that. – Interim head coach Pete Alamar on the UAB coach Trent Dilfer

You just watch how he’s grown just through reps and time on defense. You could see it coming last year. You knew there was going to be some good things down the road for him. You’ve got a young man that works hard, that prepares, takes the time. Coach [Jon] Kay has done a great job with him as his linebacker coach, just teaching him of playing the fine points of playing linebacker in our system. He shows up in the blitz game for us. I think active would be a great word to describe Ty, as far as seeing how he plays. He’s all over the place. He runs hard. He plays hard all the time. Those are good hallmarks for young linebackers. – Interim head coach Pete Alamar on the growth of linebacker Ty Morris

He has a great arm. He has the ability to do extend plays. We just have to play top down on the back end, make him throw the ball. They have a pretty good group of skilled, explosive guys. If we’ll be able to stop the run, that’ll be a good thing for us. – Linebacker Ty Morris on the UAB offense

They’re a super athletic group. They love to fly around. They’re going to present a unique challenge as very new defense does and we’re going to have to rise to a level to beat that. – Tight End Graham Walker on the UAB defense

Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notes

Alamar was asked directly during his Tuesday media availability to comment on injuries and sidestepped the question, almost entirely. “We keep our injury stuff kind of to ourselves, for the most part,” he said. Offering this general, optimistic summary: “We’re in a fairly healthy mode.”

That attitude is reflected in the depth charts we’ve seen since Alamar took over. There have been no changes over the past three weeks. The only difference between this week’s depth chart and the Memphis depth chart is the removal of fullback Geron Hargon who is out for the year.

If you haven’t yet, this is a good reminder to subscribe on Patreon to get access to our practice notes later in the week, coaching search nuggets and an actual report of any players who might be in danger of missing the game this week based on participation this week.

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Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 11 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 11.

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

TeamNFL Owl(s)This WeekResultNext Week
Detroit LionsJack Fox (P)vs JaguarsW, 52-6at Colts
Indianapolis ColtsKylen Granson (TE)at JetsW, 28-27vs Lions
Pittsburgh SteelersChris Boswell (PK)
Calvin Anderson (OL)		vs RavensW, 18-16at Browns (TNF)
Seattle SeahawksMyles Adams (DL)at 49ers W, 20-17vs Cardinals
Washington CommandersLuke McCaffrey (WR)at Eagles (TNF)L, 26-18vs Cowboys

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OL, Steelers

Anderson was active but did not see action in the Steelers’ victory over the Ravens this week.

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

McCaffrey was only targeted once on Thursday Night Football against the Eagles and did not record any receptions.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson caught one pass for four yards in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was inactive for the Seahawks Week 11 game against the 49ers.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox did not punt on Sunday, but not because the Lions were on bye. Detroit thumped the Jacksonville Jaguars so handily that Fox was never called into action.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was the offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their rivalry matchup with the Ravens on Sunday afternoon, connecting on all six of his field goal tries while his counterpart, Justin Tucker, went just 1-for-3. Bowell’s 18 points were all the Steelers needed to edge the Ravens. Boswell has made 29-of-30 field goals this season and just became the first kicker in NFL history with three games with six field goals or more..

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 details on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Women’s Basketball hangs on to beat Sam Houston

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Rice Women’s Basketball started fast and hung on to edge Sam Houston in a defensive struggle at home.

Rice Women’s basketball engineered their most dominant start of the season to date on Sunday afternoon against Sam Houston. After falling behind 4-0, the Owls went on a staggering 20-2 run, eventually heading into the second quarter with a 23-8 lead.

As has been the case for much of this season, though, a strong early lead doesn’t necessitate a comfortable victory. No sooner had the Owls built their 15-point advantage than did Sam Houston dismantle it. The Bearkats opened the second quarter on a 13-2 run, pulling back within four points at the media timeout. Instead of a potential blowout it was a new ballgame.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

The momentum ping ponged back in the Owls favor in the third quarter. Two threes from Emily Klaczek put the home team in front by 11 at the time and 10 points entering the fourth. Once more, Sam Houston answered, opening the quarter on a 7-0 run.

Rice didn’t make field goal in the final five minutes of regulation, riding their defense to a white-knuckled victory. Sam Houston got back within three points on two separate occasions in the fourth quarter but never got back to even. With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 4-1 on the season.

Final Box | Rice 65, Sam Houston 60

What They’re Saying

Winning’s hard. We’ve won four straight, so I’m pleased and proud of our team to be able to finish off tonight’s game. The coach in me obviously wants better. We have high expectations for this team, and we want to be playing the best basketball that we can right now. I don’t expect us to be where we are going to be in March, but I expect the best version of ourselves that we can be on Nov. 17. There are definitely some things we can clean up, and that’s what we will definitely do. [I’m] ready to get back to work with this team and get back to playing our brand of basketball just a little bit more. – Rice Women’s Basketball Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Just enough clutch

To this point, the Rice Women’s Basketball season has been a seemingly never-ending seesaw teetering back and forth between scoring runs and defensive deserts. By the time the final minutes of regulation arrived on Sunday it was hard to remember this was a game Rice led by 15 points early on.

Runs happen within every game and this season’s collection of back-and-forth’s isn’t particularly novel. There’s hope the Malia Fisher’s eventual reinsertion into this lineup will help smooth over the bumpy portions of these games when the Owls’ early leads suddenly dissipate. But until that happens or the current roster can improve in their consistency, having an Emily Klaczek sure helps.

On any given day it might not be Klaczek, but it was her shot that made the difference on this day, a three pointer that turned a three-point game into a six-point game and preventing Sam Houston from tying the score with 5:31 to go in the fourth. Keeping that lead intact was important, especially when it shrinks from double-digits to one score.

Up Next: at Gonzaga (Thr, 11/21)

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