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20-point lead fizzles as Rice Basketball falls to Charlotte in OT

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A 20-point first half lead would not be enough for Rice basketball, which fell to 0-4 in AAC play with an overtime loss to Charlotte.

The fireworks got underway early at Tudor Fieldhouse in a game that felt very much like a must-win contest for Rice basketball against the visiting Charlotte 49ers. After allowing a layup that put Charlotte in front, Rice exploded on a 24-2 run over the next eight minutes, fueled by a flurry of three-pointers by four different Owls.

Rather than play catch up, as this team has had to do in recent games, an early 20-point advantage would force the Owls to hang on. It probably should come as no surprise at this point that the task proved easier said than done. Even that lopsided lead was short-lived. Charlotte rattled off 13 straight points to make it a seven-point game and the game was back on.

Rice led by eight points at halftime and watched their edge slowly dwindle until Charlotte took the lead once more with 11:07 left in the second half. From there, the tug of war resumed. Neither side led by more than three points for the remainder of regulation. Rice had its chances via several missed Charlotte free throws but could not get the decisive shot to fall.

Altogether, there were seven ties as the drama continued to rise and overtime arrived. The Owls scored first in the extra period, but a 7-0 Charlotte run proved too much to overcome. Evee’s last ditch effort to miss a free throw and attempt a contested shot at the buzzer was met with silence from the officials as Rice dropped their fourth straight AAC game.

Final Box | Charlotte 81 – Rice 79 (OT)

Key takeaway | Shooting stroke

An inability to shoot the three has gotten Rice basketball into plenty of trouble this season. The Owls came into this game shooting just 31 percent from distance, a far cry from the standard head coach Scott Pera has established for the program under his watch. On Tuesday, though, Rice looked more comfortable on offense than they had in quite some time.

Rice made 10 threes for just the fourth time this season. For reference, that’s a feat Rice achieved in their fifth game last year. This was game 17.

Defense was hit or miss. The officiating did the Owls no favors. The team itself missed way too many opportunities down the stretch. Better three point shooting isn’t going to turn this into a great basketball team overnight, but this team isn’t going to be competitive without the three ball. After shooting .500 against USF and 45.5 percent against Charlotte, Rice finally has something that’s working.

Unfortunately for Pera and this team, they’re running out of time. As the Owls miss chance after chance their deficit grows. Rice is seven games below .500 and 0-4 in conference play. It’s going to take more than a couple of threes to turn this ship around.

Up Next: at Temple (Saturday, Jan. 20)

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Malia Fisher powers Rice Women’s Basketball past USF

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Rice women’s basketball traded blows with USF in a nationally televised bout of AAC elites as Malia Fisher powered the Owls to a big win.

There was noticeable rust for Rice women’s basketball in their return to Tudor Fieldhouse on Thursday against Charlotte. Faced with another battle against one of the American Conference’s top teams on Sunday, just a few days later, the Owls looked much more prepared.

Rice came out of the gates hot, jumping in front by eight points in the first quarter via a 15-2 run, compiled by a series of plays attacking the basket with a three-pointer from Dominque Ennis as the final blow. That might have been enough against one of the league’s lesser squads, but USF stayed composed and rallied back, turning this contest into a 40-minute battle between two talented teams.

USF would push back in front, but the visitors’ advantage never exceeded seven points. The Rice defense held its own, forcing USF to make shots from beyond the arc and plugging the lane throughout the game. USF did hit some big threes down the stretch, but the strategy kept the Bulls from getting into any real rhythm.

Both sides tread water for much of the third and fourth quarters, waiting for either team to take control. Malia Fisher answered the call. The Owls’ veteran leader was responsible for 10 straight points for Rice in the fourth quarter, supplementing her superb defensive plays with aggressive drives to the rim and a perfect performance from the free throw line.

Fisher’s focus was unmistakable. “This is our game,” she said, recalling the team’s message to themselves in the halftime locker room. “It just shows how tough of a team we are to come out here and pull this one out against a great team.”

Final Box | Rice 67 – USF 64

Key takeaway | Adjustments are key

Rice women’s basketball designed a significant portion of its offense around the three-point shot against Charlotte, then proceeded to go 2-for-19 from long range. The Owls have been hot and cold from deep this season, but rather than roll the dice against USF, we saw the team make a noticeable decision to attack inside.

Rather than settle for long shots or build around the three, there was a clear intent to get the ball in the hands of Malia Fisher in the post and let her work. The results were extremely encouraging. Fisher finished with a double-double, 23 points and 13 rebounds. She also provided a spark on the defensive side of the court, too.

Rather than stick with a strategy the team wasn’t executing at a high level, head coach Lindsay Edmonds and the Rice coaching staff adjusted. And it worked. Rice built the whole plane out of Malia Fisher and the Owls soared with Dominique Ennis stepping in with a 16-point performance, too.

For those looking for reasons to be encouraged about the state of the program moving forward, this game should serve as a strong endorsement. Not only can Rice beat the best the AAC has to offer, they can do it with superb play from their leaders and well-crafted gameplans from the coaching staff.

Up Next: at ECU (Wednesday, Jan. 17)

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Rice Football 2023 Special Teams Player of the Year: Peyton Stevenson

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Peyton Stevenson was a bright light during an up-down season for special teams and our 2023 Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year.

Outside of the punter, kicker and return men, those who play special teams seldom get name recognition. Although there are 10 other men on the field, the non-specialists who make the rest of the play possible don’t get the limelight very often, with rare exceptions. One of those shining standouts this season was Peyton Stevenson, our 2023 Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year.

A wide receiver when he arrived on campus, Stevenson converted to safety this past season. While learning a new position during the spring, it was special teams where he really found his niche. Stevenson was a standout member of multiple block and coverage teams and rose through the ranks quickly.

When special teams coordinator Pete Alamar arrived on campus, Stevenson’s fresh start was met with fresh eyes.

“I purposefully did not watch a bunch of their film. I didn’t look at their depth chart,” Alamar said this spring. “I want to see them out here. I want to evaluate them based on what I see.”

What Alamar saw in Stevenson was an irreplaceable piece of his special teams fabric. By the time depth charts began to take shape in earnest, Stevenson was an integral part of the Rice special teams and someone Alamar and the coaching staff relied on to lead the unit. He and captain Chike Anigbogu became part of what Alamar liked to refer to as “four-teamers”, players utilized across four special teams units: kick off, punt, return and field goal.

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In the fall, Stevenson would help lead player-only meetings at the team hotel on Friday nights before the game. “They talk through everything,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said, lauding Stevenson and others for their dedication to their craft. The meetings weren’t required. It was just another of example of players caring deeply for their craft. And Stevenson was at the core.

It should have come as no surprise then when Stevenson’s preparation manifested itself on the football field. Stevenson blocked a PAT against UConn, keeping the Owls in a game that was in danger of going lopsided in a hurry. Then, a few weeks later, Stevenson blocked a punt against SMU that was recovered by a teammate for a Rice touchdown.

The blocked punt score was the first for the Owls since Sam McGuffie in 2012. It was Stevenson’s second blocked kick of any kind, a first for any Rice player since Christian Covington blocked a pair of kicks in 2013. Already in rarified air amongst Rice history, Stevenson was one of just four players in the country this season to have blocked both a punt and a place kick.

More: 2023 Rice Football Defensive Newcomer of the Year — Coleman Coco

Following the season, Bloomgren would identify four key performers on special teams: Stevenson, Anigbogu, Sean Fresch and Geron Hargon.

Stevenson was never called upon for a postgame press conference. He didn’t get the attention other specialists did, for better or for worse. But he made Rice football special teams better every time he was on the field, perhaps just as much on the dozens of other routine plays when kicks weren’t blocked. The entire operation continued to soldier on, thanks in large part to Stevenson.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Shooting woes spoil defensive effort vs Charlotte

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Frenetic defense gave Rice Women’s Basketball a chance on Thursday against Charlotte, but a lack of scoring resulted in the Owls’ first AAC loss.

Points were at a premium on Thursday night as two of the AAC’s top five defensive teams squared off in Houston. A 12-12 score at the end of the first quarter proved to be a harbinger of things to come as Rice women’s basketball ran out of time in a gritty slugfest of a game against Charlotte at Tudor Fieldhouse.

It was that defense that kept Rice afloat, particularly in the first half. Rice shot 31.6 percent from the floor in the first half and made two of their 13 attempts from three. Despite the aid of six offensive rebounds and 18 forced turnovers in the first half alone — the 49ers’ average 18 turnovers per game — the Owls were unable to build much of a lead, going into halftime with a 27-25 advantage.

Not much changed in the second half. Charlotte out-shot Rice from the field and from three, but the 49ers’ turnovers gave Rice a 73-to-47 advantage in total field goal attempts. On sheer volume, the Owls were able to hang around for quite a while, even though the shots weren’t falling. Eventually, though, the lack of precision proved fatal.

“We were flying around. We were playing hard. It wasn’t about energy. It wasn’t about effort. It was simply about putting the ball in the basket more,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said.

Following a 7-0 Charlotte run to start the fourth quarter, Rice battled back to get the game within two before ending the contest 1-for-9 down the stretch. With the loss, Rice falls to 2-1 in AAC play.

Final Box | Charlotte 61 – Rice 54

What They’re Saying

“I didn’t think we were going to go undefeated in conference, but I want us to protect home at all times. You go on the road and you hope you can steal a couple, but we are normally good enough at home to win games. One-and-one with SMU and Charlotte, am i happy with that? Yeah. But I would have loved to be 2-0.” – Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | The exception, not the rule

Rice women’s basketball has historically shot the ball very well under head coach Lindsay Edmonds, particularly from deep. The Owls came into this game as the third best three-point shooting team in the AAC, but went 2-for-19 from long range. And it wasn’t as if the Owls were heaving up separation shots.

“They were good looks,” Edmonds agreed. “If you would have told me Dom [Ennis] was going to go 0f-or-6, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. If you told me DJ was going to have a hard time finishing on some layups I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I thought we had some really good, quality looks.”

It wasn’t a shot selection or a personnel problem. The best shooters don’t make every wide-open shot, but for the Owls’ top three-point shooters to strike out so many times in a game that went down to the wire stings. Edmonds noted the team hadn’t played a game in Tudor Fieldhouse in nearly a month.

Perhaps a bit more court time will help return the Owls’ stroke to normal. The defense was fantastic on Thursday. If the offense bounces back, the Owls should be just fine.

Up Next: vs USF (Sunday, Jan. 14)

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Rice Football 2023 Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Coleman Coco

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Coleman Coco arrived at South Main as another transfer in an impressive signing class. He then became the clear-cut 2023 Rice Football Defensive Newcomer of the Year.

Thousands of players enter the Transfer Portal every offseason. The coach’s job is to find the right ones that fit the program and get them on campus. Hit rates are mixed. Some wash out before they ever play a down. Others help change the trajectory of the program itself. Colgate transfer Coleman Coco did just that and was an easy pick for our 2023 Rice Football Defensive Newcomer of the Year.

From the moment Coco arrived on campus, he couldn’t be missed. Spring practices were filled with his commanding voice followed by impressive plays on the field. Defensive coordinator Brian Smith called him an “alpha kind of guy”, praising his leadership right out of the gate. That gave the staff hope. Perhaps they’d found a keeper at a coveted position, defensive end.

Week by week, Coco continued to turn heads. Teammate Blake Boenisch called him “the fastest learner” he’d seen at Rice. His position coach Cedric Calhoun was wowed by his ability to make adjustments. “Once he’s seen it once [on film], he’s good,” Calhoun remarked.

Coco finished the spring strong, notching a sack in the spring game and entering the fall as the projected starter and would go on to start every game. In large part due to Coco’s presence, a defensive line that was forced to replace three veteran starters from a year ago played even better.

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Coco led the team in sacks (four) and tackles for a loss (nine) while also finishing sixth on the team in total tackles, no small feat from the defensive line. In his first season on campus, Coco posted career bests across the board, graduating from an All-Patriot League player to someone who probably deserved postseason recognition of some kind in the American.

To get that level of play from a transfer with Coco’s resume was incredible.

“He’s been such a home run,” head coach Mike Bloomgren after the season. “He’s just been amazing with his play. His passion for this game is contagious. He immediately fit right into what we’re doing.” Bloomgren would also call Coco “a walking advertisement for our program,” lauding how well Coco assimilated into the culture and became a champion of those ideals.

One needed to look no further than Coco’s own comments following the Owls’ bowl-clinching victory against FAU. “361 days ago Rice offered me when I jumped in the portal,” Coco said. “It was kind of a no-brainer from the start and to be a part of it and be with these guys and have the opportunity to have a winning season for the first time in long while, it’s great. I’m very, very thankful for the coaches, the staff and everybody to be here. It’s pretty awesome.”

Always the first to credit his coaches for his growth and his teammates for an assist that set up a big play, Coco’s energy was contagious. It seemed impossible to be morose or downtrodden when he was next to you and his mentality permeated the locker room. No matter the score or the situation, Coco was convinced Rice would come out on top. And he hasn’t stopped preaching that message.

More: 2023 Rice Football Offensive Newcomer of the Year — Boden Groen

“If you would like a world-class education and to be a part of football team, that is going on the up-and-up, and doing things that people cannot think that you can do, it’s the place to be,” Coco said following that FAU game, making his pitch for Rice football to all who would listen.

“We know we have a talented ball club. We know we’re going to be even better next year. So if you if you want to be a part of a winning team, a part of a great culture, it’s the place for you. I’m so thankful to be here. When [the media] talked to me after Houston, I said ‘I love it here’. Eleven weeks later, I love it even more.”

Rice football certainly loves Coleman Coco. They wouldn’t have had the season they did without him.

* Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker *
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