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Rice Basketball overcomes slow start, tops PVAMU

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Rice basketball trailed at the break before closing in furious fashion, taking down Prairie View A&M at home.

Rice basketball led for 28 seconds in the first half against Prairie View A&M on Sunday afternoon, another prolonged slump against a nonconference foe the Owls were expected to handle rather easily, this on the heels of an upset by North Texas-Dallas a few days prior.

An early three from Emory Lanier was one of just two triples the Owls made in an opening half in which they shot 26.5 percent from the floor. A strong defensive effort gave Rice a chance to weather those early woes and try once more to generate some momentum in the second half. After trading a few baskets in the early moments, Rice started to take control.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

Lanier got things going with a jumper, then got help from three different teammates to spark a 9-0 run, the longest of the game for the Owls, which put Rice up by seven in a game they’d trailed for so long. Both teams would pick up the scoring pace from that point, but Rice managed to keep their advantage to multiple baskets, thwarting another would-be upset bid in its tracks.

A seven-point lead ballooned to 19 points as Rice basketball began to find their rhythm with the ball, matching their defensive intensity with some efficient offensive execution. Rice would wrap up the much-needed win and go into the holiday break on a high note.

Final Box | Rice 64, PVAMU 46

Key takeaway | Bring back the Bahamas?

Rice basketball largely hasn’t looked the same since they arrived back on American soil following a 2-1 stretch at the Nassau Championship in the Bahamas where they beat a vey good Arkansas State team rather convincingly.

The Owls were 7-2 at that point with losses to Florida State and Hofstra (in overtime). They’re 2-2 since and the losses are about as ugly as they can come. Dropping this game to a bad PVAMU squad might have signaled the time for a full blown panic. As it is, they found a way to battle back and win. That matters, but the need for the rally is another warning in itself.

Following Sunday’s game, the program is off until they open conference ply on January 1 at Tulsa. Time will tell whether a break to mentally reset is the right medicine for the Owls’ currently maladies, but whatever the right answer is, doing something different seems like a solution worth trying.

It’s been two weeks of largely bad basketball with a sliver of hope at the tail end of this contest. They’re going to need a lot more of the latter if they want to get it where they hope to go.

Up Next: at Tulsa (Wed, Jan. 1)

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Rice Basketball upset by UNT-Dallas

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Rice basketball missed the tying free throw in the final seconds of regulation, falling to North Texas-Dallas at home.

In hindsight, a sluggish start from Rice basketball probably should have served as a sign of trouble ahead. The Owls traded baskets with their opponents in the early goings on Thursday, trailing a large portion of the first half before a 10-0 run in the middle of the period put Rice in front by more than a basket for the first time.

A few well-timed three pointers from Jacob Dar and Denver Anglin helped thwart some runs from the Owls’ foes, but the margin hung around 10-points or through the end of the half. That inability to lengthen the lead proved consequential for Rice who watched UNT-Dallas start chipping away in the second half.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

A 15-point Rice advantage was whittled down to seven by an 8-0 UNT-Dallas run before any advantage evaporated entirely and the game was tied at 61 apiece with 3:43 on the clock.

Free throws would prove to be the decider. UNT-Dallas’ Vernon Johnson knocked down all three of his attempts under 10 seconds to give his team a one-point lead. For Rice, Kellen Amos had two free throws near the two-second mark. He missed both and Rice lost.

As is often the case, a loss like this is due to more than poor free-throw shooting. Eight steals by UNT-Dallas highlighted Rice’s lackluster showing in their first home loss of the season.

Final Box | UNTD 69, Rice 68

Key takeaway | The Honeymoon is over

UNT-Dallas doesn’t have a logo on ESPN. The NAIA school launched it’s basketball program in 2014. For perspective, the kids in the stands watching on Thursday were around the same age as the Owls’ opponents program.

There were always going to be growing pains in the first year under a new head coach, but even in their previously ugly game against Alcorn State, they found a way to win. Even still, growing pains were going to come, it was just hard to imagine them striking in such a severe fashion as this.

Rice basketball is 8-4 on the season and 4-1 at Tudor Fieldhouse. The season is far from over, but this particularly game is going to sting for a while, as it should. It must serve as a reminder of where this program is coming from, a near-total reboot. For it to have gone off without a hitch was wishful thinking. Thursday’s events made that fact abundantly clear.

Up Next: vs Prairie View A&M (Sun, Dec. 22)

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Rice Women’s Basketball overpowered by Georgia Tech

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Rice Women’s Basketball simply could not keep pace with a ranked Georgia Tech squad, dropping their nonconference finale on the road.

Rice women’s basketball visited Georgia Tech in the only matchup featuring a ranked team on that particular Wednesday afternoon slate. The No. 17 Yellow Jackets backed up their accolades on their home court, opening up an early lead on the Owls which they continued to lengthen as the game progressed.

Things were close in the opening frame with Rice trailing by five points following the first quarter. Georgia Tech would open the second period with three straight three-pointers, turning a close game into a 14-point deficit for Rice. The Yellow Jackets’ defense was just as fearsome as their shooting stroke, holding the Owls to 21.2 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.

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

Rice trailed 37-18 at the break, accounting for their fewest points scored in a first half this season. That margin proved to be a sign of things to come as Georgia Tech nearly doubled-up Rice in the third quarter, outscoring them by 12 to take a commanding 31 point lead into the fourth quarter, all but deciding the game before the final 10 minutes were played.

Final Box | Georgia Tech 88, Rice 57

Key takeaway | Measuring Stick Moments

Rice Women’s Basketball scheduled up in nonconference play. Their 7-5 record is a reflection of the quality of those opponents as much as it tells a story of where the Owls stack up against their own lofty preseason expectations.

Those opponents were meant to give Rice resume-boosting wins and Rice did grab a few, beating North Carolina A&T and Vermont. But with Wednesday’s loss to Georgia Tech — the final nonconference game of the season — Rice is running out of time to pad their resume.

Their upcoming game against South Florida is one of their last truly major games remaining on their schedule. It might also end up being their best win, if they can manage it.

Thus far, the attempt to accrue style points in nonconference play hasn’t gone according to plan. Barring an outstanding run through league play, leaping up the seeding list in the NCAA Tournament probably isn’t in the cards right now. That’s for the future Rice women’s basketball team to worry about. The current iteration has to find a way to take advantage of these last chances before they reach the thick of the AAC schedule.

Up Next: vs South Florida (Wed, 12/29)

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Rice Basketball survives vs Alcorn State

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Rice Basketball had to rally from behind in the final minutes but found a way to overcome a red-shot shooting Alcorn State at home.

It took Rice basketball a while to get going on Monday evening against Alcorn State. The Owls swapped early leads through the first 10 minutes of play before a 10-3 run gave them some breathing room. They used the remainder of the first half to lengthen that lead, leaning on a combination of three balls from Alem Huseinovic, aggressive plays to the rim, and lots of free throws.

Rice led by nine at the break, but any thoughts of a comfortable nonconference win flew out of the window when Alcorn State matched Huseinovic’s sharpshooting with a flurry of threes of their own. They combined to shoot a staggering 47.6 percent from deep, with three different players knocking down multiple deep balls.

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A 12-0 run by the Braves ensured this would be a dogfight to the very end. The Owls led by 11 before their opponents got hot from the field putting the game in danger of a disastrous result — Alcorn State was 0-11 entering this contest — before Trae Broadnax and Kellen Amos came through with huge shots in the final minutes.

Broadnax got the game back within one with a jumper before Amos put Rice in front for good with a layup with 5.1 seconds to play. Alcorn State missed a long three attempt at the buzzer and Rice escaped with the win.

Final Box | Rice 77, Alcorn State 75

Key takeaway | Turn up the three

Rice basketball is still finding its form offensively, something head coach Rob Lanier has mentioned on multiple occasions. The defense continues to be stout, Monday’s issues with the three aside, and has been the backbone of most of their wins thus far. In this game they proved they can shoot their way out of trouble, too.

Huseinovic and Anglin led the team in threes coming into this game and continued to add to their advantage on the stat sheet. Huseinvoic (6-for-8) was lights out from deep, humbly crediting his teammates for the big performance. “They found me in open shots and I just knocked them down,” he said post game.

Anglin (3-for-8) made some pivotal threes, as as did Amos, to keep Rice in front when the Owls defense was in a bind.

The best cast scenario remains an elite defensive game interspersed with this kind of inspired shooting. In the mean time, winning ugly is the best way to win.

Up Next: vs UNT-Dallas (Thr, Dec. 19)

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Rice Women’s Basketball buries Texas Southern

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Rice Women’s Basketball turned on the jets late in the second half, surging past Texas Southern in one of their most dominant wins of the season.

In front of a roaring crowd of school children on Friday morning, Rice women’s basketball jumped out to a 7-0 lead in front of intra-city foe Texas Southern at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Tigers composed themselves and fought back to within one before another Rice rally put the home team in front by 10 at the conclusion of the first quarter.

Both teams swapped scores in the second frame but the margin hung around double digits at halftime. Texas Southern put up a fight in the early portions of the third quarter but that was all the Tigers had left in the tank. Rice closed the frame on a dominant 21-5 run, taking a 23-point lead into the fourth.

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

Rice would go on to stretch their lead to 30 with Malia Fisher leading the Owls with 19 points and Emily Klaczek connecting on 3-of-4 from three. The 27 point win represents the largest margin of victory for Rice women’s basketball this season as the team moves to 7-4 on the year.

Final Box | Rice 89, Texas Southern 62

Key takeaway | Runaway Win

Rice women’s basketball defeating a 1-6 Texas Southern team is far from a Herculean feat. This year’s Tigers squad is not in the same weight class as the Owls, something which was quite clear on Friday. However, this is not the first time this season Rice has been head and shoulders better than their opponent.

Simply put, putting games away has been a problem for this team. They’ve been able to race out to double-digit leads with relative ease, but finding a way to turn a 10-point third quarter advantage into a 20-point fourth quarter lead has been lacking, until now.

Rice won by 27. And while margin of victory isn’t the most important statistic in the world, in this case it is instructive. The Owls found that next gear that’s eluded them to this point and that’s something that should be an encouraging sign for the program moving forward.

Up Next: at Georgia Tech (Wed, 12/18)

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