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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2021

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2021 was filled with highs and lows for Rice Athletics. The Roost picked out 10 moments that stood out the most along the way.

10. Rice Basketball goes on C-USA Tournament run

For the first time since 2007, Rice basketball won multiple games in the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls beat Southern Miss and knocked off Marshall before falling to UAB. After sneaking into the tournament as the sixth seed in the West, Rice put their best foot forward when it counted the most, building momentum as the team heads into the 2021-2022 season.

9. Owls shine at Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics

The realm of collegiate athletics wasn’t the only area where Rice impressed. The Owls also faired well on one of the world’s greatest stages: the Olympics. Ariana Ince competed in the Tokyo Olympics in the javelin throw. Soon after, Ahalya Lettenberger took home a silver medal in the Paralympic Games.

8. Rice Women’s basketball wins WNIT

It feels like forever ago at this point, but Rice Women’s Basketball marched through the WNIT in March, thumping Ole Miss to win the program’s first-ever WNIT Championship. The roster has changed dramatically since then, but the accomplishments of Tina Langley, Nancy Mulkey and Co. will not be forgotten.

7. Rice Football signs another Top 5 recruiting class

Recruiting has been one of the brightest spots for Rice football under head coach Mike Bloomgren and the most recent 2022 recruiting class appears to be no exception. The Owls took home a Top 5 class in Conference USA and the No. 2 rated class in program history. Each of the last three classes currently ranks in the Top 5 highest-rated classes in school history. More recruiting notes here.

6. Grace Forbes wins C-USA Female Track, XC Athlete of the Year

While track and field might not draw the same spotlight as other collegiate sports, it’s hard not to be transfixed by the level of dominance Grace Forbes has displayed in her young Rice career. Forbes was named C-USA Female Track Athlete of the Year and C-USA Cross Country Athlete of the Year. From start to end, she was the best of the best.

5. Rice baseball hires Jose Cruz Jr. as next head coach

Rice elected to make a change at the top of the baseball program following the 2021 season and athletic director Joe Karlgaard made a splash with the hiring of former Rice great Jose Cruz Jr. Cruz has already made notable additions on the transfer front and increased the visibility of the program within the city and on social media. The 2022 season can’t come soon enough.

4. Rice Soccer upsets WVU in NCAA Tournament

Making the NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment. Winning a game is another. Rice soccer went beyond both bars in their spring season, knocking off 5-seed West Virginia in route to the first Sweet 16 appearance by a Conference USA school since 2011 and tying the program record for wins a season with 14.

3. Rice Volleyball makes NCAA Tournament, twice!

Rice arrived in Omaha in mid-April but had their first NCAA Tournament appearance of the year ended by COVID-19 cases within the program. Undeterred, they bounced back and earned another NCAA bid in their traditional fall season. Finally given the opportunity to compete, Rice beat San Diego in the first round before falling to Texas in the second round.

2. Rice football beats UAB

For the second consecutive season, Rice football won a game as a three-touchdown underdog on the road. In 2020, Marshall was the victim a dominant defensive performance by the Owls. This time around, UAB was caught in the crosshairs of what was indisputably the most complete performance by all phases in the 2021 season with team-favorite Wiley Green at the helm.

1. Rice Athletics accepts AAC invite

The giant of conference realignment awoke during the summer when Texas and Oklahoma announced moves to the SEC. That decision sent ripple effects across college athletics all the way to Houston, Tx where Rice Athletics was invited to join the American Athletic Conference. The Owls don’t have a date when the move becomes official yet, but the announcement itself is a massive moment in Rice Athletics history.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Cutting this down to 10 was challenging. Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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Rice Basketball navigates COVID-19 — December 2021 Patreon Q&A

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Both Rice basketball programs have missed multiple games because of COVID-19 issues. Is there an end in sight?

It’s been a quiet month on the court for Rice basketball. COVID-19 issues within both the men’s and women’s programs have forced both squads to cancel multiple games. Is there an end in sight? What’s next for both teams? We’ll provide some updates below.

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Rice Basketball: COVID-19 issues force MBB, WBB cancelations

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COVID-19 related issues within both the men’s and women’s programs have forced all Rice basketball games this weekend to be canceled.

The women were set to visit Texas A&M on Sunday while the men would have hosted Saint Thomas.

Here are the official statements from Rice Athletics:

On Rice women’s basketball:

The Rice women’s basketball game at No. 23 Texas A&M scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 19 has been canceled due to COVID-19 related issues within the Rice program.

Rice has one more scheduled non-conference game set for Wednesday, Dec. 29 when they host Texas College at 6 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse.

On Rice men’s basketball:

Rice Basketball’s home game against St. Thomas, originally scheduled for Sunday, December 19, has been postponed due to COVID issues within the Owls’ program.

The teams will look to reschedule at a later date.

Rice currently holds a 7-4 record and is on a three-game winning streak.

What does this mean going forward?

First and foremost, our best wishes go out to all the impacted players and personnel and hope for a swift recovery for all. On the basketball side of things, these cancelations offer a warning of what may be in store for college basketball over the next several weeks.

On the men’s side, the roster is robust and has already shown an ability to play through injuries. Losing out on a nonconference game against St. Thomas will cause a delay in court time that isn’t ideal, but the impact on the season as a whole seems fairly minimal at this point. Rescheduling was mentioned as an option in the official statement.

More: 2022 Rice Football recruiting updates

On the women’s side, this further emphasizes the fragility of the current roster. The Owls did sign the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA, but they won’t be on campus until next season. That leaves this team with a very thin lineup that won’t be able to withstand much in the way of injuries or COVID-19 complications. The margin for this team will be razor thin.

COVID-19 challenges are currently impacting the full range of professional sports, too. This is not an isolated incident. If things continue to persist, there could be more delays and cancelations, reminiscent of where things were last year at this time. Hang in there. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

UPDATE 12/20:

The men’s game against Texas has also been postponed.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: WBB edge TAMUCC, MBB crush HBU

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

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball has won back-to-back games, handling a frisky HBU squad across town and earning a decisive victory on Saturday.

Rice basketball caught all green lights on their trip across town, blowing past Houston Baptist in a meeting of intracity foes. Rice shot 55.9 percent from the floor in the first half and squared up 10 three-pointers to take a commanding 51-32 lead into the break. From that point on, the Owls held serve, matching every run by the Huskies and walking away from Sharp Gym with a comfortable victory.

Max Fielder has eight rebounds, seven assists, six blocks and four points. Quincy Olivari lead the team in scoring with 27 points, making 11-of-15 shots from the field and 4-of-7 threes. Rice led for the final 36 minutes of regulation.

What they’re saying

“We had a great start. Our guys were locked in from the beginning. Obviously, Quincy (Olivari) and Carl (Pierre) got hot there in the first half and our guys found them, which is a sign of great teammates. Every time (Houston Baptist) made a run, we had an answer. I’m really proud of the guys. True road wins in college basketball are really hard to get and tonight was a good one.”  – Scott Pera on the team’s performance 

Key takeaway

Head coach Scott Pera might not ever say it, but there are some games you’re supposed to win with some flair. Going across town to play a Houston Baptist squad that entered Saturday ranked 351st out of the 358 D1 teams in KenPom rankings was one of those game. And credit hit team with this, they lived up to those expectations.

The Owls’ largest deficit of this game was 6-3 early in the contest. They quickly erased it and took the lead to double-digits swiftly. Their 88 points was the most points they’ve scored on a D1 team in regulation this season; they had previously topped 100 points against Evansville in triple overtime.

Up Next: vs Incarnate Word – Thursday, Dec. 16 at 11:15 a.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, Rice women’s basketball mounted an incredible rally, roaring back to beat Texas A&M Corpus Christi at home.

Nothing seemed amiss when Rice women’s basketball took the court for a Saturday showdown with Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The two squads traded buckets, entering halftime locked in a one-score game. Then the Islanders broke things open in the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with a 47-43 lead over the home team.

At that point, salvaging a win would have been all the Owls could ask for. But they would get more than that. Rice outscored TAMUCC 26-14 in the fourth quarter, 12 of which came from Haylee Swayzee.

What they’re saying

“At UT-Arlington we fell behind and we battled and cut it close, but we weren’t able to pull it out so here we are learning from that game and already capitalizing, learning, and growing in order to pull it out after we got down in a hole.

“I’m really proud of their effort. I’m proud that they are not a team that hangs their head. They do whatever we ask of them to do and they’re pretty tough and resilient. Our numbers aren’t high but the ones that we got really battle. I liked having four players in double-figure scoring. That really gives us a balanced attack. Some things still to clean up but definitely some things to take away.”” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s performance

Key takeaway

The third quarter has often told the story of how the games have gone this season for Rice women’s basketball. Rice did not win the third quarter on Saturday. In fact, they allowed a 15-0 Islanders’ run and were outscored 17-10 overall in that period. Still, they found a way to battle back.

For an imperfect team, resiliency is crucial. If you can’t overwhelm your opponent with talent or experience, you have to wear them down with a full 40-minute fight. Rice was able to do just that on Saturday. Having Haylee Swayzee come off the bench and score 20 points was huge.

Up Next: at Sam Houston – Thursday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: MBB top JCU, WBB fall to UTA

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

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball snapped a three-game losing streak with a dominant home win over Jarvis Christian on Saturday.

It was 9-0 in favor of Rice basketball before the visiting Jarvis Christian Bulldogs were able to find a bucket. At that point, Rice had only hit one of their 16 three-pointers on the day. The Owls were the favorites entering the contest and led the contest from wire to wire as expected.

The home team led by 22 at half and finished with a 38 point advantage. It was the Owls’ largest margin of victory since they defeated Our Lady of the Lake by 39 points in a 103-64 win last season.

What they’re saying

“I’m really proud of our guys in how they responded after that three-game losing streak. We had great energy in practice this week. It’s a mature, older group of guys that understand what it takes and they really refocused themselves. With us going through finals, I’m really proud of the energy and effort that we had today. It was really good to see Noah (Hutchins) and Jaden (Geron) out there and to see them play well was even better.”  – Scott Pera on the team’s performance 

“I think had his best practice of the year on Thursday and it’s amazing how that translates to good performance on game day.” – Scott Pera on Mylyjael Poteat’s first career double-double

Key takeaway

Rice was able to out-score Jarvis Christian in a game where the Owls held a clear talent advantage. This wasn’t a remarkable defensive showing — there’s work to be done there — but it was a reminder that this is a team that can shoot their way out of slumps and/or poor defensive stretches. Rice shot 51.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from three, both of which are among their better marks of the season.

Up Next: at Houston Baptist – Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

A strong fourth quarter wasn’t enough for Rice women’s basketball, who fell on the road to UT Arlington on Saturday.

Rice women’s basketball went back-and-forth with UT Arlington in the early minutes of their Saturday contest with Maya Bokunewicz contributing nine crucial points off the bench in the first two quarters. It was the third quarter, though, that would prove disastrous.

UT Arlington shot a blistering 68.8 percent from the field in the third quarter, missing just five shots from the field and dominating the paint. Rice would win the fourth quarter 26-18, but by then it proved to be too little, too late.

What they’re saying

“I’m disappointed in the outcome and that we dug ourselves such a hole in the third quarter before we turned it on, but I am proud of our fight. I’m proud that we didn’t quit but I just want to see the fight show up sooner. We have things we can control that we need to clean up and we will.” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s performance

Key takeaway

Young teams are streaky and this version of Rice women’s basketball is no exception. Ashlee Austin was effective inside, and Malia Fisher recorded another double-double, but it wasn’t enough. The short bench is going to make everyone carry a larger load this season and they’ll learn from the experience. It’s just won’t always be pretty.

Up Next: vs TAMU CC. – Saturday, Dec. 11 at 2:00 p.m.

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