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Rice Basketball outlasts Temple for first-ever AAC win

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It wasn’t easy, but Rice basketball is heading home from Temple with their first-ever AAC win, taking down the conference’s other Owls 69-66.

The visiting Owls made themselves feel right at home against Temple on Saturday afternoon. Rice basketball knocked down a trio of three-point shots in the opening minutes, jumping out ahead 11-5 on the road. From there, the combination of Max Fiedler and Mekhi Mason took over, stretching a close game to yet another double-digit advantage for Rice.

A 13-point halftime lead did not last long. Temple opened the second half on a 7-0 run and, as if that wasn’t daunting enough, Travis Evee picked up his fourth foul shortly after that run. Not only was Rice going to have to find a way to hold onto the lead, they were going to have to do so without their top scorer on the floor for much of the second half.

Evee went to the bench. Rice lost the lead. Temple slowly added to their advantage, going up by six points before Evee was reinserted into the game. Playing with no foul margin, Evee scored eight straight points, spurring a Rice rally that was desperately needed.

With the game back in reach, a stressful series of closing possessions soon followed. Missed free throws from both sides and errant passes culminated in two clutch free throws from Mason, who finished with a team-high 20 points, powering Rice to a lead in the final seconds. A three-ball from Temple at the buzzer would clank off the rim, giving Rice basketball its first-ever AAC win.

The win was Pera’s 350th career win.

“This has been a tough stretch, one of the toughest of my career of 33 years,” head coach Scott Pera said after the game. “They’ve just hung with it. They’ve practiced good. We’ve been playing better. We just gotta win. We found a way today. I’m just so proud of them.”

Final Box | Rice 69 – Temple 66

Key takeaway | A win is a win is a win

Despite a slow start in conference play, getting a lead hasn’t been too difficult for Rice basketball over the last several weeks. This has been a good first half team, building sizable advantages early in games but not having the ability to sustain that level of play over 40 minutes. Whether it’s endurance, focus or misfortune of one kind or another, leads have too frequently disappeared as quickly as they have come.

So when Rice took a 16-point lead in the waning minutes of the first half, confidences were mixed. After all, the Owls had done this before but they hadn’t finished yet. On Saturday on the road, Rice finally got it done.

The victory in itself will not awe anyone on the outside. Temple entered the game 8-10 (1-4 AAC). It won’t go down in any record books or be spoken about as a resume builder for a program looking to turn the corner and get going back in the right direction. However, it should serve as proof of concept for what this team is capable of when they can play well and execute offensively.

Getting out of an 0-4 AAC start can’t happen overnight. It’s one game at a time. This was one baby step, sorely needed after an arduous beginning.

Up Next: vs Florida Atlantic (Wednesday, Jan. 24)

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Rice Women’s Basketball puts AAC on notice with win at ECU

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Rice women’s basketball went on the road and posted a commanding victory, topping East Carolina to improve to 4-1 in AAC play.

It took Rice women’s basketball a moment to settle in for an early morning tip against East Carolina. The Owls fell behind 7-2 in the opening minutes, allowing the Pirates to score on three straight possessions, aided by a Rice turnover. Then the defense woke up, the shooting found its groove and the Owls became the aggressors.

Rice outscored ECU 20-6 to close out the first quarter. As the Owls’ zone defense flummoxed the Pirates on offense, Shelby Hayes emerged as a force when the Owls were on the attack. Hayes posted a tying a career-high with 18 points, perfectly complimenting the outside shooting of Dominque Ennis and the slashing drives of Destiny Jackson.

Up by eight at the half, Rice was able to keep ECU at bay for the next quarter, maintaining a double-digit advantage until ECU opened the fourth frame with a 7-0 run to get the game back within reach. In front by seven, Rice dug deep and found the resolve to battle for just a bit longer with the usual suspects coming through in big junctures.

Ennis hit a couple of threes. Jackson and Fisher hit shots inside. Soon a tenuous lead became a 17-point edge, the Owls’ largest of the ballgame. By the time the final buzzer had sounded, the Owls had left no doubt. Rice women’s basketball is the team to beat in the AAC.

Final Box | Rice 80 – ECU 67

Key takeaway | AAC on notice

South Florida, East Carolina, Rice and SMU were tabbed to finish first through fourth, respectively, in the preseason coaches poll. In just a few weeks of conference action, Rice is 3-0 against those other teams, posting consecutive, convincing victories over the top teams in the span of a few days. And Rice might not have played its best basketball just yet.

Rice sits tied atop the American Conference standings as the calendar moves past the midpoint of January.

There’s a long way to go before the season wraps up and nobody within the walls of Tudor Fieldhouse is counting their proverbial chickens at this moment. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to look at the results of the past few weeks and come to any other conclusion: Rice women’s basketball is the AAC front-runner until further notice.

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

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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 Basketball falters down the stretch, falls to USF

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Rice basketball led for more than 35 minutes, but couldn’t hold on, falling on the road to South Florida in another heartbreaking loss.

A lot was at stake on Friday night during an otherwise ordinary AAC basketball game. Rice basketball, winless in conference play, was desperate to claw out a victory. South Florida, winners of their last eight straight at home, was looking to climb the league standings and improve to 2-1. The Bulls’ home streak continues as Rice heads with another gut-wrenching loss.

How Rice lost stings the most. The Owls jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the contest, but USF battled back and took the lead midway through the first half, temporarily forcing a reset of sorts in the pace of the game. A 12-0 run from Rice, capped off by a pair of threes from Mekhi Mason ensured the home team would be in catch-up more for much of the night.

Max Fiedler entered halftime with a double-double, changing the entire complexion of how USF could attack the game. His efforts helped the Owls take a nine-point lead into halftime, but nobody was able to pick up the baton in the second half.

A double-digit Rice lead at the 12-minute mark slowly began to dwindle. Despite leading for the vast majority of the game, Rice found themselves deadlocked in a 68-68 ballgame with 2:24 to go. Rice went more than six minutes straight without a field goal down the stretch. USF took the lead and that was that. Despite leading for more than 35 minutes of regulation, the Owls will leave Florida without the win.

Final Box | USF 81 – Rice 73

Key takeaway | Spiraling

After falling to UTSA at “home” last weekend, Rice basketball desperately needed to find a way to get a win on the road Friday night. Instead, the Owls fell to 0-3 in the AAC the most rigorous stretches of conference play begins. The hole feels so much deeper.

Rice had rather encouraging performances from Feidler, Evee, Mason and Alem Huseinovic in this game. They nearly conjured some good old-fashioned hope. Instead, the feelings of the sky falling persist and another tough test awaits next time out against Charlotte.

For the first time in weeks, Rice was productive from three and set the tone with their offense. The defense held tough in some key moments and the got Fiedler, their veteran leader in the middle, back on track. They needed a jolt. They got it. They just couldn’t finish. A familiar, painful feeling in a season full of missed opportunities.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Tuesday, Jan. 16)

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