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MBB: Louisiana Tech win secures first winning streak for Scott Pera

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Rice basketball improved to 2-1 in conference play with their second-straight victory, earning the Owls’ first winning streak under coach Scott Pera.

For the first 38 minutes of Saturday’s matinee tilt, neither Rice nor Louisiana Tech was able to secure any kind of meaningful advantage.  The Owls earned two eight-point leads but the visiting Bulldogs rallied to retake the lead on each occasion.

Jacolby Pemberton made a layup with 4:26 remaining to give Louisiana Tech a one-point edge. After that, it was all Rice. The Owls scored 17 of the final 21 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to secure the 78-66 victory.

The win comes on the heels of a 73-65 victory on Thursday over Southern Miss. Together, the pair of victories mark the first winning streak for Scott Pera at Rice. Things are looking up for the Owls, who have the third-best record in CUSA after three games.

The Box

# Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
03* ADAMS 16 5-12 4-7 2-2 0 3 3 0 3 1 0 0 27 16
23* PETERSON 2 1-3 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 17 5
24* MULLINS 15 5-14 1-2 4-6 1 4 5 6 3 2 0 2 27 11
32* WILLIAMS 15 6-11 3-4 0-0 4 7 11 0 1 0 0 0 28 19
42* MILLORA-BROWN 6 3-6 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 3 3 1 3 0 22 -1
0 MOORE 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 -3
1 PARRISH 5 1-1 0-0 3-3 2 4 6 1 2 2 1 0 18 4
2 MURPHY III 8 3-7 2-6 0-0 1 5 6 1 2 0 0 0 22 3
10 MARTIN 11 3-9 1-3 4-4 1 4 5 2 0 0 0 1 27 6
35 HARRISON 0 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0

Player of the game – Ako Adams

A 12-point win doesn’t typically occur without multiple players having big days. Jack Williams tallied his second-straight double-double, but it was Ako Adams and his four three-pointers that played the most crucial role on Saturday. Adams was a momentum-making piece, extending Rice leads and erasing deficits with his smooth stroke. Adams leads the Owls with 38 triples on the season, converting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc on the year.

Up next – Road?

After playing four straight games in the friendly confines of Tudor Fieldhouse, the Owls will hit the road for a three-game road trip. Their first stop will be Thursday, Jan. 10 in San Antonio where they’ll take on UTSA at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Owls rally to take down Southern Miss at home

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Rice basketball earned their first conference win, taking down Southern Miss at Tudor Fieldhouse, leveling the Owls’ CUSA record at 1-1.

A little more than seven minutes into the field half Rice had turned the ball over three times and connected on two shots from the field. The Owls trailed the visiting Southern Miss Eagles 16-6 and were dangerously close from one more run from their opponents pushing the game out of reach. This team stayed cool, keeping the deficit from growing.

Rice entered the half trailing by nine, still in the game, but in need of a run of their own. The Owls had shot 37 percent from the field in the first half and turned the ball over nine times. The game was well within reach, assuming Rice could reel in their missteps and focus.

Not only did Rice settle in, they outscored Southern Miss 40-23 over the final 20 minutes, clinching their first conference victory. The Owls committed just three turnovers after the break and outrebounded Southern Miss 24-15.

Player of the game – Jack Williams

When Rice had brought the game level, tied 46-46 in the second half, Jack Williams hadn’t scored any points. His first basket of the game, a three-pointer, extended the Owls’ lead to six. As Southern Miss attempted to mount a comeback, Williams hit four consecutive shots, scoring nine straight to keep Rice out in front. He finished with 12 points (all in the second half) and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season.

Up next – Louisiana Tech

Rice will get one more game at home before going back on the road. The Owls host Louisiana Tech, 11-4 (1-1), with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. The Bulldogs are coming off a road loss to the same North Texas squad that handed Rice their only CUSA loss of the season.

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Owls in the NFL – Week 17

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Rice football has nine alumni currently active on NFL rosters. Here’s how the NFL Owls fared in their respective Week 17 games.

Chris Boswell, K (Steelers) – Boswell missed the Steelers 2018 regular season finale with a groin injury. His replacement, Matt McCrane connected on all three of his field goal attempt and an extra point, accounting for 10 of the Steelers’ 16 points in their win over the Bengals. Pittsburgh missed the Playoffs.

Bryce Callahan, CB (Bears) – Callahan was placed on injured reserve after breaking a bone in his foot against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bears defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 and will host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wildcard Round.

Christian Covington, DE (Texans) – Covington was credited with one tackle and one quarterback hit in the Texans’ Week 17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Next week the Texans host the Colts in the Wild Card Round.

Phillip Gaines, CB (Browns) – Gaines missed the last four games of the Browns’ season with an injury. The Browns lost their Week 17 game to the Ravens.

Vance McDonald, TE (Steelers) – McDonald was targeted six times in the Steelers’ Week 17 loss. He caught three of those passes for 39 yards including a long of 22-yards, Pittsburgh’s second-longest reception of the day. McDonald caught 50 passes for 610 yards and four touchdowns this season, all career bests.

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings) – Placed on injured reserve after missing extended time following a groin injury. The Vikings’ missed the Playoffs.

Jordan Taylor, WR (Broncos) – On the PUP list following off-season surgery. The Broncos missed the Playoffs and have since fired head coach Vance Joseph.

Luke Wilson, TE (Lions) – Wilson missed the Lions’ final game of the regular season. His season ends with 13 receptions for 87 yards. This was the first season of his professional career in which he did not record at least one touchdown.

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Rice Football: 3 Resolutions for 2019

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Rice football made encouraging progress in 2018 in the first year under Mike Bloomgren. Here are three resolutions for the Owls on the gridiron in 2019.

1. To finish off another strong recruiting class

When asked about his 2018 recruiting class in fall camp head coach Mike Bloomgren said he didn’t think there was a miss in the group. On one hand, that feels a lot like coachspeak, but after seeing the season play out how it did, he might be right.

Rice’s depth chart will be filled with underclassmen again this year, but there’s still plenty of room for impact players at the right positions. The Owls signed 17 players in the early signing period. They still have room for several more before the 2019 class is in the books.

2. To not have to play the backup backup backup backup quarterback

Injuries are a part of every football season, but few seasons play out as unfortunate on the injury front as the Owls’ 2018 campaign. Rice lost Shawn Stankavage and Evan Marshman to injury during the year. Jackson Tyner and Sam Glaesmann were bumped down the depth chart for performance and scheme considerations leaving freshman Wiley Green as the next man up when “next man up” was called against FIU.

Entering 2019, Green and Marshman will battle it out for the starting position. Green is probably the frontrunner at this point, but regardless who takes the first snap of the season, Rice would like to not have to find their next starter working with the scout team at the start of the New Year.

3. To win more games

At risk of stating the obvious, the end goal of this game is to win. Rice tallied two victories in 2018, bookending their season with wins over Prairie View and Old Dominion. Two wins is the new floor for the Owls in 2019 and Mike Bloomgren himself said “we will not put a ceiling on this team at any point… what we will do is talk about how we’re going to work.”

The “process” has been talked about for a full year at South Main. 2019 will be Year 2. It won’t be the finished product by any means, but the wheels have been turning long enough for the results to start flowing and they will. Rice had close calls in games against Houston, Hawaii, North Texas and UTEP, among others. If the Owls play more complete games in 2019 the wins will come.

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WBB: Owls riding high entering conference play

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Rice Women’s basketball finished off a strong non-conference slate and looks forward to CUSA play beginning in the new year.

The Rice Women’s Basketball team began the 2018-2019 season strong, rounding out a 9-3 record in non-conference play with a road win over Incarnate Word on Saturday. The Owls have held serve against the vast majority of their opponents, with their three losses all coming at the hands of quality teams.

Rice lost a pair of mostly competitive games to Texas A&M and UCLA, both NCAA Tournament teams last year, as well as a road contest against a North Carolina squad which could make a postseason bid of their own in March. A win in one of those games would have been big, but the effort the Owls put forth is an encouraging start.

As far as individual efforts go, Erica Ogwumike picked up right where she left off last season. The Owls leading scorer averaged 17.9 points per game last season and has matched the same scoring clip so far this year, averaging 17.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. She’s scored in double-digits in all but one of the Owls’ first 11 games with six double-doubles.

Joining Ogwumike in the everyday lineup has been senior Nicole Iademarco and freshman Jasmine Smith. Lauren Grigsby has been important off the bench, averaging 9.7 points with 15 steals, second most on the team. It’s been a true team effort with 10 players averaging 12 or more minutes per game.

The Owls will get a few days off for the New Year before CUSA play starts with a pair of road trips. They take on Southern Miss on Jan. 3 and Louisiana Tech on Jan. 5 before returning home for their first conference home game on Jan. 10 against UTSA.

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