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Free throw woes doom Rice Basketball vs North Texas

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Rice basketball started strong but was unable to rally from a first-half deficit, falling to North Texas at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Saturday night’s rematch between Rice basketball and North Texas had all the makings of a thrilling affair right up until Max Fiedler temporarily halted the contest with a dunk that turned off the shot clock. After some deliberation, the opposite shot clock was turned off and the game resumed, complete with a 10-second countdown from the PA announcer to simulate the clock that was no longer illuminated.

North Texas was unphased. Rice looked flustered. Rice led by two when the clock turned off. North Texas responded with a 16-2 run, ultimately outscoring Rice 21-8 in the remainder of the half.

“I think that we kinda stopped communicating a little bit and lapsed on defense for a few minutes,” guard Travis Evee said of the technical interruption caused by the clock, which was restored to order before the start of the second half.

With the clock restored, Rice opened the half on a 13-6 run, cutting the North Texas lead to three. That was as close as they were able to get. Rice managed to shoot reasonably well (48.1 percent in the second half, 47.1 percent for the game) but was unable to retake the lead. “They had to deal with it too,” head coach Scott Pera said. “They dealt with it better than us.”

Rice entered Saturday as one of the best free throw shooting teams in the conference but would miss five in a row in the second half including the front end of a double-double twice in that span. They shot 55.6 percent on the night, nearly 20 points worse than their season average.

“To win these games, you’ve got to play your A-game. In this league, if you don’t play your A-game you’re not going to win, especially against North Texas,” Pera said. “We played about our C-plus team, and that’s not enough.”

Final Box | North Texas 74 – Rice 64

Key takeaway | Eliminating the lulls

Aside from a blowout loss to UAB, Rice basketball has been in a close ball game late in the second half just about every time they’ve taken the court. It’s impossible for each of the games to break the right way, but it certainly feels like the bounces haven’t favored the Owls this weekend.

On Thursday, Rice trailed by 24 against Louisiana Tech before falling to take the lead late, before losing by eight. The deficit didn’t get quite that big on Saturday against North Texas, but Rice had their chances to turn a 13-point deficit into a single-shot affair, they were unable to do so, primarily because of an ice-cold 0-for-5 streak at the free throw line in the middle of the second half.

If Rice can find a way to avoid falling behind by double-digits with regularity, some of these nailbiters might just turn into less stressful wins. Perfection isn’t a realistic expectation, but finding a way to maintain 40 minutes of competitive play has to be a focal point because the tough stretches have made even the competitive games feel like they require Herculean efforts to win, resulting in losses like this.

Up Next: at Florida Atlantic – Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6:00 p.m.

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Rice Women’s Basketball falters late, falls to North Texas

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Rice women’s basketball hung around until the final minutes but was unable to get the shots to fall in Saturday’s road loss to North Texas.

Saturday’s back-and-forth slugfest between North Texas and Rice women’s basketball did not disappoint. The Mean Green were the aggressors early on, taking a seven-point lead midway through the first quarter before Rice was able to punch back, courtesy of some clutch three-point shooting from Ashlee Austin and Trinity Gooden.

The second quarter was more of the same; North Texas grabbed an eight-point lead and Rice thundered back via the three-ball, this time courtesy of Dominque Ennis and Malia Fisher. It wasn’t until the third quarter when Rice was able to get in front for a meaningful amount of time — and even then, the Owls led by just one point entering the fourth quarter.

The largest lead by either side in the final 10 minutes would be four points with the game hanging in the balance as the clock ticked below two minutes. Only one field goal was made from either side at that point, a North Texas three, which would break a deadlock and put the Mean Green ahead for good.

Final Box | North Texas 69 – Rice 66

Key takeaway | The shots won’t fall every night

Rice didn’t shoot particularly well at any point of the game against North Texas, but the fourth quarter was one of their least effective stretches and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Those perfectly timed three-pointers that helped Rice stay close throughout the afternoon disappeared late. Dominque Ennis was the only Owl to attempt a three in the fourth quarter and went 1-for-5.

Then there was Malia Fisher’s tough stretch at the free throw line. On Thursday night against Louisiana Tech, Fisher was unbelievably good. In the fourth quarter on Saturday, she wasn’t at her best, but she continued to get the call in part because of the trust she’s earned to this point. She was 3-for-7 from the line in the fourth quarter, effectively giving up four points in a game the Owls lost by three.

By no means does Fisher bear all the culpability for this defeat, but her final frame does serve as a reminder that the shots won’t fall every night. That’s basketball. Fisher is shooting 75.6 percent from the line this season, even with the rough game. She’ll be fine and Rice will be fine. The Owls have won six of eight and they probably won’t leak free throws on a regular basis going forward.

Up Next: vs Florida Atlantic – Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m.

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Rice Basketball: Owls rally falls short at Louisiana Tech

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Rice basketball fell behind big early and clawed back to take the lead before running out of gas on the road against Louisiana Tech.

After going back and forth in their last meeting, Thursday’s matchup between Rice basketball and Louisiana Tech had the makings of another tight-nit contest. Another overtime-forcing buzzer-beater seemed impossible when the Owls fell behind by 24 points, unable to answer a barrage of first-half three-pointers from the Bulldogs.

Unfortunately, the Owls are no strangers to slow starts. They fell behind big early against UAB in their last outing a few days prior but were unable to battle back. On Thursday, though, Rice was able to find that extra gear.

Rice went on an 8-0 run to close the first half down 16 rather than 24. They kept that momentum rolling through intermission into the second half, outscoring Louisiana Tech 27-10 to start the frame, eradicating their deficit and taking a one-point lead.

The two sides would trade minor leads for a few more minutes, but it was Louisiana Tech that was able to dig deep and close things out. They finished the game on an 8-0 run with the final four points courtesy of a double-technical foul and subsequent ejection of Rice head coach Scott Pera as the clock was expiring. Rice did themselves no favors, failing to record a field goal of their own in the final five and a half minutes.

Final Box | LA Tech 80 – Rice 72

Key takeaway | Bad one to lose

There’s never a good time to lose, but letting a late lead slip through the Owls’ clutches on Thursday was particularly inopportune. Rice entered the day third in the Conference USA standings with a half game lead on the group just behind them. That is gone now, and waiting on the Owls’ schedule in the coming days are games against FAU (No. 1 in C-USA) and North Texas (No. 2).

Rice did beat North Texas head-to-head a few games back, a monumental victory for Pera and the program. Winning back-to-back games against the Mean Green in a single season would make the first time the Owls have ever done that. It’s possible… but on paper much harder to do than holding onto a late lead against the .500-ish Lousiana Tech Bulldogs.

If Rice hopes to achieve a first-round bye in the conference tournament they’re either going to have to pull off a few more upsets or hold serve against the more winnable games on their schedule. Losing Thursday makes that road all the more challenging.

Up Next: vs North Texas – Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m.

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Rice Women’s Basketball, Malia Fisher steal victory vs LA Tech

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Louisiana Tech pushed Rice women’s basketball to the brink, but the Owls prevailed thanks in part to a clutch performance from Malia Fisher.

Thursday’s midweek tilt between Rice women’s basketball and Louisiana Tech was a grind from the start. There were eight fouls called in the first quarter, four on each side, compared to nine total field goals. The pace picked up a bit in the second but neither team got much headway with Lousiana Tech taking a one-point lead into the break.

Rice got things going in the third quarter. Malia Fisher and Trinity Gooden combined to go 8-of-11 from the floor, pushing Rice to a six-point lead before Louisiana Tech battled back to tie the game up in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. The physical slug-fest was on again.

With Louisiana Tech leading by one under a minute to play, Destiny Jackson slashed to the rim, scored and drew the foul. Trailing by one, head coach Lindsay Edmonds called a timeout and delivered an ultimatum to her team. “We’re gonna win this game and I need everybody to believe it,” she said. “And if you don’t believe it, don’t go back out on the floor.”

The motivation worked. Not only did Jackson bring the game level again with the ensuing free throw, but soon after Malia Fisher delivered the knockout blow with this steal, score, and subsequent foul shots.

Final Box | Rice 60 – LA Tech 57

Key takeaway | Malia Fisher, two-half player

Throughout the last few weeks of the season, Edmonds would be the first to tell you Malia Fisher was a great player, but needed to improve on her consistency. She’d mentioned she wanted Fisher to be a true two-half player, steady throughout the course of the game. On Thursday night, Fisher rose to that challenge.

“She put together a complete game, that’s for sure,” Edmonds said in the aftermath. “When she’s not in foul trouble and she can get into her rhythm, she’s a huge help to us on the offensive end, the defensive end, the rebounding end. I thought she put together a complete game, a great game. The team needed it”

Fisher finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and two steals, including what might have been the most impactful takeaway of the season thus far.

Up Next: at North Texas – Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3:30 p.m.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: MBB fall, WBB win vs UAB

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Both Rice basketball teams were in action against UAB on Saturday. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball saw their hot streak come to a screeching halt against a short-handed UAB squad, falling at home in a largely uncompetitive fashion.

Rice basketball has been no stranger to a slow start. The Owls have been a hot and cold team all year, relying on their dominant stretches to smooth over some of their less-than-stellar moments. On Saturday, their shooting performance began almost as cold as it possibly could.

Very little went through the hoop for Rice in the first half. They shot 20 percent from the field and made just three of 12 three-point attempts. Leading scorers Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee combined for five total points and nine of the 19 missed shots. On the other side, UAB shot a strong, but not overwhelming 46 percent from the field. At the half, UAB led 33-15 and it felt like it could have been worse.

The second half was much more even, exactly even, actually. Both teams scored 37 points in the second half, but that didn’t matter much for Rice who went into the break already facing a massive deficit. Cameron Sheffield (3-for-7, 12 points) was the only Rice player to score with any sort of consistency as they played out the stretch in what became a crushing defeat against a UAB squad down three key players including its star, Jelly Walker.

Head coach Scott Pera was frank in his postgame comments. “That’s kind of an old-fashioned butt-kicking,” he said.

Final Box | UAB 70 – Rice 52

Key takeaway | When it’s bad, it’s bad

Rice basketball has been a really good team this year. At 15-6 overall and 6-4 in conference play, they’ve been objectively one of the better teams in Conference USA. They’ve shown they can hang with just about anyone on the court on any given day, but — and it’s a significant but — when they’re off their game, things can go south quickly.

Here are the margins of defeat in the Owls’ six losses this season:

  • 37 – at Pepperdine (Nov. 7)
  • 35 – at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 15)
  • 6 – at Texas (Dec. 12)
  • 6 – at Louisiana Tech (Jan. 5)
  • 3 – at Middle Tennessee (Jan. 11)
  • 18 – vs UAB

Even some of the better teams in college basketball have an off night. Even in three of their losses (Texas, LA Tech and MTSU) the Owls played relatively well for parts of those games. But when Rice has an off night, they have the propensity to get run out of the gym.

It’s hard to deny head coach Scott Pera has raised this program’s ceiling. In the same breath, games like this one serve as a clear reminder the floor needs to be raised, too. Head coach Scott Pera was effusive in his praise for UAB, but said he couldn’t help but wonder if his team had finally just hit a wall following a run of so many close games.

“We had two bad ones a long time ago,” he said, “But we’ve only had one in a long time. Let’s just hope you’re not asking me this again anytime soon and we rebound from this.”

Up Next: at Louisiana Tech – Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

It wasn’t a great shooting day for Rice women’s basketball, but the defense was stellar and propelled the Owls to an important road win.

The early portions of the Rice women’s basketball game against UAB were largely unassuming. The two squads traded minor advantages, swapping out baskets and rebounds and nearly an even rate. UAB outscored Rice 17-15 in the first quarter, then equaled that 17-15 margin in the second frame.

Down by four at the half, Rice still felt very much in the game despite not really getting into a rhythm on the offensive side of the court. The defense had been solid, holding UAB close despite the Blazers shooting 59 percent to the Owls’ 35 percent from the floor in the first half. That was true, right up until UAB threatened to break the game open early in the third quarter.

The Blazers started the third with back-to-back threes, then followed up a Rice layup with two more buckets of their own. Suddenly a four-point UAB lead had ballooned to 12, forcing Rice into catchup mode. Jazzy Owens-Barnett answered with six straight points of her own to give the Owls some life before Rice would go on a 10-2 run to close the quarter deadlocked at 50 points aside.

In the fourth quarter, Rice slammed the door. UAB shot just 27 percent from the field and turned the ball over 10 times — the Blazers ended the day with 24 giveaways — as the Owls began to build a lead of their own. Despite trailing for most of the game, Rice would go on to win by 10.

Final Box | Rice 67 – UAB 57

Key takeaway | Finishing strong

The best 10 minutes of Rice basketball on Saturday were played during the fourth quarter. Rice outscored UAB 17-7 down the stretch and was able to get production from a variety of sources. In the fourth quarter alone they got 13 points from the bench, stole the ball five times and committed just four turnovers. They took care of the basketball and forced UAB to make mistakes.

Rice shot just 33 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter and did not make a three. Yet somehow they were able to reverse a one-point deficit and build a double-digit lead. Even when the offense isn’t clicking, this team showed it still has the tenacity to buckle down and finish games. Good teams can win in a variety of ways and that’s the kind of team the Owls aspire to be.

“Today was about toughness,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said. “We found a spark and we just kept going and we were tough and we kept battling and we found a way to get a win on the road.”

Up Next: vs Louisiana Tech – Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m.

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