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Rice Basketball: Owls shut down by stifling Houston defense

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After an impressive opening win, Rice basketball fell back to earth as Hoston cooled the Owls’ offense and handed Rice its first loss of the season.

If there was any remaining early-season rust, the Houston Cougars didn’t show it in their meeting with Rice basketball on Friday night at the Fertitta Center. The Coogs’ defense was suffocating early, holding a typically explosive Rice offense to just five points through the first 12 minutes of play. Rice was without Chris Mullins and Quincy Olivari was limited. But no matter who was on the court, the shots just weren’t falling.

Carl Pierre opened the scoring with a dunk. 2-0 Rice. From that point onward, Rice would make one of its next 14 shots. It wasn’t just an off night for the Owls’ offense, they couldn’t find open looks anywhere. In the seconds leading up to a triple from Jake Lieppert with 6:58 to play before halftime, the Houston lead had ballooned to 17 points.

“The knockout was early,” Pera said, point-blank.

Worn down from too many fruitless trips up the court, the Rice defense which held tough early, started to slip. By the time the halftime buzzer blared across the sea of red-clad fans, Rice trailed 44-15. That was all she wrote.

“They pretty much did they wanted all night,” Pera said. “We didn’t have much resistance and we didn’t have much attack on offense to get what we wanted.”

Entering this contest, the lowest scoring output for a Pera-coached Rice basketball team was 41 points in a losing effort against FAU on Feb. 16, 2019. Just how anomalous is that? Rice has failed to reach 50 points just three times under Pera, once each in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons. Conversely, the Owls had topped 90 points 10 times over that stretch.

More: Rice Basketball Season Preview

Every team has its off nights, but this rough outing was magnified by a superb outing against one of the nation’s top teams. If the Pepperdine win was a solid launching point, this was the crash landing not long after. The reality of how good this team can and will be is most likely somewhere in between.

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson offered a similar sentiment as he closed out his own postgame remarks. “That team could make the tournament,” he said of the Hofstra team that took Houston to overtime three nights prior, “I don’t know if they will or not, but they’re good.” Then came the twist. “Rice is probably a little better than Hofstra, but we were better tonight.”

Where does Rice fit in the mix between Houston and Hofstra? That’s what we’re going to find out over the course of the next several weeks and months. On Friday, the reality was this: whether expected or not, Rice wasn’t very close to a team coming off a trip to the Final Four.

Player Spotlight | Max Fielder

The box score might not fully reflect it, but Max Fiedler acquitted himself well for much of the game against Houston. He disrupted shooting lanes on the defensive side of the court, forcing Houston into difficult angles or bypassing the lane altogether in favor of an outside shot. On a night where Rice wasn’t securing anything that bounced off either rim, Fiedler was strong off the glass. In 22 minutes, he finished second among all players with seven rebounds.

Final Box | Houston 79 – Rice 46

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball returns home on Tuesday, November 16 to host Southern. That will be the Owls’ last home game for two weeks. They visit New Orleans on Friday, November 19 before heading to Florida to play in the Gulf Coast Showcase the following week.

Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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Rice Basketball: Stout defense propels Owls past Pepperdine

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A stout defensive performance propelled Rice basketball over Pepperdine in decisive fashion to lift the Owls’ to 1-0 on their young season.

There wasn’t much about the early goings of the Rice basketball season opener against Pepperdine that seemed unusual. The Owls hit the first shot of the game, a triple from Carl Pierre, then knocked down two more threes in what appeared to be the beginnings of a back-and-forth game the likes of which had been played at Tudor Fieldhouse time and time again

In those games, Rice would shoot the lights out and try as hard as they could to muster enough stops on defense to hang on. Things seemed to be trending towards those same ‘ol Owls on Tuesday night, right up until the halftime buzzer. Then something shifted.

More: Rice Basketball Season Preview

With Chris Mullins — who head coach Scott Pera point-blank referred to as the team’s best defensive player — sidelined with a finger injury suffered early in the game, the Rice defense clamped down. The Owls allowed seven points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, rattling off a 28-7 run which turned a close game into a rout. They didn’t ease up much at all the rest of the way, limiting Pepperdine to a pedestrian 35.4 percent shooting from the field.

“We defended. We defended for 40 minutes and that was the difference,” Pera said emphatically after the game.

That refrain matches the chorus sung by Pera and his players last week during preseason media availability. Back at that time this team made it crystal clear they’d’ been exerting the majority of their efforts on getting better on that side of the court. Against Pepperdine, that attention to detail showed.

Again, Pera echoed “[Defense is] certainly the emphasis. Things become important when it’s on the front of your mind, and it’s on the front of our guys’ minds, it’s been since June.” And now, Rice has taken those ideas and made them a reality.

Rice shot 35.5 percent from three against Pepperdine. Preseason All-Conference honoree Quincy Olivari did not make any of his three attempts, battling through a wrist injury. It was a fine night from distance, but not one that this “Green Light U” squad is going to write home about. This is a team that can and has shot 40 percent, even 45 or 50 percent from three.

But even on a mediocre shooting night from three, this iteration of Rice basketball won by 19 points. When asked what this team might be capable of on a good shooting night from distance, Pera couldn’t suppress a grin, before letting out this subtle promise: “When we’re healthy and we’re really cooking, we will put on a show some nights.”

Player Spotlight | Noah Hutchins

Travis Evee led all Rice scorers with 24 points and six made three-pointers, but it was a surprise 13 minutes from Noah Hutchins that proved to be particularly intriguing. Hutchins only returned to practice this past week after recovering from an injury of his own, but he was thrust into meaningful minutes when Mullins went down.

Hutchins ended with a +4 plus/minus, largely because he happened to not be on the court during much of the Owls’ decisive second-half run, but he did settle things down when he entered, helping lead the charge on some key sequences. With Mullins’ status for the Houston game unknown, Rice could lead on Hutchins more in the near future. He acquitted himself well in his debut.

Final Box | Rice 82 – Pepperdine 63

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball will hit the road for a short trip across town on Friday when they’ll visit the University of Houston to take on the Top 15 Cougars at the Fertitta Center, where they narrowly escaped an upset at the hands of Hofstra on Tuesday. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. It will be available for streaming on ESPN+. After that, Rice returns home on Tuesday, November 16 to host Southern.

Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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Rice Women’s Basketball rolls past St. Edwards in season opener

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Rice women’s basketball took care of business in their home opener, opening coach Lindsay Edmond’s tenure with a convincing victory.

To some extent, early season basketball games are hard to evaluate. Rice Women’s basketball opened their 2021-2022 campaign against St. Edwards, a DII school. Even with so many new pieces to work in and early-season jitters to iron out, a win was expected. Anything beyond that would have been icing on the cake.

On Tuesday night, with a crowd in the stands at Tudor Fieldhouse for the first time in more than a year, the Owls had feasted.

After trading buckets in the early moments, Rice extended a 5-4 lead to 28-4 lead before St. Edwards could score again. Freshman Malia Fisher led the way out of the gate. Fellow newcomer Alexis Stover added nine points of her own and the entire team played solid defense, the kind Rice fans have grown accustomed to over the last several years.

“Overall, the gelling is happening. It’s going to continue to happen as we go. I don’t expect it to be perfect on the first night, but I thought we looked pretty good out there for the majority of the game,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said afterward.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

Team captain Katelyn Crosthwait played limited minutes in what is expected to be her last game of reduced minutes this season. Fellow captain Haylee Swayze was held out entirely. Edmonds said she could be a few more weeks away from seeing her first action.

It’s a long season and both are working to get back to 100 percent. That left extra court time available for Rice in the opener which coach Edmonds took advantage of, getting the majority of the roster meaningful playing time.

Given the various combinations of new faces, it wasn’t a perfect game by any means. This was the first time many of these players had seen the court in a live game and there were some growing pains. There was a sequence in which Rice committed a shot clock violation in the first quarter with plenty of time to work with.

There were smaller communication gaps on both sides of the court. But when you open up a 30-point margin, there’s room to work through those issues. Edmonds was quick to mention she was “obviously, a little worried about our third quarter effort” in which St. Edwards cut their deficit from 26 to 27 points, adding later that the team has “some work to do on the rebounding end, for sure.”

In totality, Rice women’s basketball netted just what they needed from this tune-up game. They won, gathered valuable time on the court and came away with a list of things to work on as the season progresses. And most importantly, they’re 1-0.

Player Spotlight | Malia Fisher

Freshman Malia Fisher was one of the positives from this game. Fisher scored or assisted on nine of the Owls’ first 11 points. She finished with nine points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. After starting the game a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, she did not attempt another shot from the floor, but found other ways to help the team win.

Edmonds’ noted the second-half lul and seemed confident Fisher’s consistency would come. She went on to call Fisher “a very special player, very athletic” adding that “she hasn’t even tapped into her full potential yet. She’s an exciting player that does a lot of things that make you go ‘wow’.” Consider that a ringing endorsement of one of the Owls’ newest faces.

Final Box | Rice 84 – St. Edwards 41

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball opens its season with a stretch of five home games, not leaving the confines of Tudor Fieldhouse during the month of November. They’ll host Louisiana on Saturday, Nov. 13. That game tips off at 7:00 p.m.

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2021-2022 Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

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The 2021-2022 Rice women’s basketball season is fast approaching. The team will look different this year and they’ll be learning as they go.

The last several months have been what new head coach Lindsay Edmonds dubbed a “whirlwind” for herself and the Rice women’s basketball program, There’s a new staff, what feels like a new roster and now it’s finally time to put everything together on the court.

Aware of the enormity of the challenge, Edmonds seems ready to lean into the adversity. “The expectations are to compete. The expectations are to win,” she said. “I know we lost a lot (of players) but that still doesn’t change who I am and what I’m about, so I still want us to compete in each and every game that we play, give our best, do all the little things and have each other’s back on the court.”

It’s going to take a group effort to achieve those goals. Rice returns one starter from last year’s team, Katelyn Crosthwait, and will rely on a thin roster featuring only 11 players. Incoming freshmen who might normally have been eased into service could be called on as early as opening day.

Edmonds made that clear from the start. “Everybody is going to be on the court. There’s not a lot on the roster so I expect everyone to play this year,” she said.” That likely means fans will need to break out their scorecards and start learning the roster from top to bottom. To help expedite that process, here’s the lay of the land for Rice women’s basketball as the season approaches.

The Coach – Lindsay Edmonds

For the first time in the last six seasons, Rice women’s basketball has a new woman at the helm. Lindsay Edmonds has taken over the head coaching title after Tina Langley departed for Washington. Edmonds had spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant at NC State where she was a part of three Sweet 16 appearances and coached multiple WNBA draft selections.

Last Season Snapshot

Rice women’s basketball made history last season with the program’s first-ever WNIT title. The Owls finished the season with a trophy and a 23-4 record, dropping just two conference games prior to a conference tournament championship game loss to Middle Tennessee, a game that was decided by just three points.

Key Question

Who will emerge on this rebuilt roster? In addition to losing their head coach, Rice will also be without Nancy Mulkey, Lauren Schwartz, Sydne Wiggins and Jasmine Smith — four of their five starters from last season. That begs the question, who will take the big shot?

“There’s not a lot of players that played in those key and crucial moments in the past.,” Edmonds said. “I need to learn who I can trust in those moments. I need to learn who can handle the pressure of those moments. And I think we can’t figure that out quite yet in practices.”

Rice Women’s Basketball Schedule | Key Games/Dates

Nov. 9, 2021 – Season opener vs St. Edwards at Tudor Fieldhouse
Nov. 20, 2021 – Owls host Oklahoma State
Dec. 19, 2021 – Owls visit Texas A&M
Jan. 1, 2021 – Conference USA home opener vs North Texas
Jan. 6, 2021 – Conference USA first road game at Middle Tennessee
Mar. 8, 2021 – Conference USA Tournament

You can find the complete 2020-2021 Rice women’s basketball schedule here.

Key Returners

Katelyn Crosthwait, Guard (So.)

Crosthwait is one of two captains for Rice women’s basketball this year and the only returning starter. She led Rice with 43 three-pointers last year and started every game for the Owls including their run through the WNIT tournament. She’s a proven rebounder and is the most experienced player on this team. She will be looked to early and often as this young team works to find their rhythm.

Haylee Swayze, Guard (Jr.)

Also a team captain this season, Swayze is expected to make the jump from key reserve to key starter. She was the team’s leading scorer off the bench last season, averaging 6.7 points per game while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. She’s played in 80 games across three seasons, making two starts. Her role will increase significantly this season.

Destiny Jackson, Guard (So.)

Part of a very highly regarded 2019 signing class, Jackson was a key piece off the bench for the Owls in each of the last two seasons. She averaged 3.5 points and 3.2 rebounds last season, also creating 1.9 assists per game. She’ll be trusted with the ball in her hands often and could become an important distributor in what is expected to be a much faster-paced offense.

India Bellamy, Forward (So.)

Bellamy averaged 12.3 minutes per game last season, doubling her floor time from her true freshman season. She was able to snag 55 rebounds during that time and will be a trusted post presence for Rice on the court this season. She’s shot 42.2 percent from the field over two seasons with the Owls and is one of a handful of players Edmonds singled out as being in line to “play a lot of minutes.”

Ashlee Austin, Forward (So.)

Austin rounds out the group of players that have meaningful on-court experience for the Owls. She’s a physical forward that is strong with the ball but her Croswthwait was sure to note “she can make quick moves”, praising her versatility. She played 6.3 minutes per game last season, seeing action in 16 contests from the back end of the bench. She’ll be in line for a much larger role this season as well.

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Key names off the bench

Alexis Stover, Forward (Gr.) – The only transfer addition to the Rice women’s basketball roster,  Stover comes to South Main from Wright State and brings NCAA Tournament experience.

Arianna McCurry, Center (Jr.) – A reserve center last year who seldom saw the court, her 6-foot-6 size and no Mulkey will likely necessitate more playing time than her 7.4 minutes per game last season.

Maya Bokunewicz, Guard (Fr.) – Bokunewicz redshirted last season. She was praised for her versatility by the previous staff and could play multiple positions for Rice. Finding her niche will be key.

Malia Fisher, Forward (Fr.) – One of three new freshmen on the roster, Fisher is player that Edmonds described as someone with the “ability to do something that makes you go, ‘wow'”

Trinity Gooden, Guard (Fr.) – Another incoming freshman, Edmonds was enamored with Gooden’s toughness and style of play. Both she and Fisher could challenge for starting roles sooner than later.

Robin Whitehead, Guard (Fr.) – A later addition to the roster, Whitehead was a two-year starter at Atoscita where she averaged 14 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.8 steals.

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2021-2022 Rice Basketball Season Preview

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The 2021-2022 Rice basketball team returns to South Main with high expectations and plenty of confidence. Can the Owls soar even higher?

Perhaps it’s the infectious smile of starting guard Quincy Olivari or the multiple wins in the conference tournament last season under their belts, but the 2021-2022 Rice Basketball team enters the season with a renewed level of confidence, a swagger they didn’t possess at this point last year.

By head coach Scott Pera’s own admission. expectations have been raised. “We’ve put a lot of time and energy and effort into building this program into the words I’ve used: sustainable and winning,” he said in his remarks to the media before the season officially gets underway Tuesday night. “If there are never expectations put on you, that means you’re never any good. And so we’ve talked about embracing expectations, relishing the fact that now people have a respect for us and expect us to be better.”

Better means building off a strong returning core, integrating in a pair of grad transfers and climbing the conference standings. “We want to win and we believe we can win,” Olivari said. “Before it was just (to) not finish last or just make the conference tournament, (now) it’s make the conference tournament and compete for a championship. That’s the whole, overall message.”

Aiming higher than they ever have before, Rice basketball is looking forward to what promises to be an exciting year. And while the offense will get most of the accolades, it’s not the only thing this team has worked to amplify during the offseason.

To a man, Pera and several team leaders identified defense as the top priority. Pera called it “the number one emphasis,” because that phase of the game was “the area we need to improve the most.” If Rice can add an efficient defense to their high-fly scoring attack that was fourth in the conference last year with 73.9 points per game scored, this team could be dangerous.

The Coach – Scott Pera

Pera was given a contract extension this summer, keeping him at Rice through 2024, ane he earned it. Not only did Pera rebuild the roster on the fly, but he also increased the Owls’ winning percentage for the third consecutive season with players like future first-round NBA draft pick Trey Murphy to help him along the way.

As a part of his focus on making the program appealing to recruits and those outside the hedges, he also engineered the #GreenLightU mantra. “We let our guys play,” he said, alluding to the freedom he gives his players to take shots on the court.

Last Season Snapshot

With the roster gutted by transfers, things were up and down for Rice basketball last season. Non-conference play featured a handful of wins over lesser-know programs, but conference action saw Rice win four of their first five including a win over UTEP in El Paso.

The team would teeter-totter between short losing streaks and winning streaks for the remainder of the year before closing out the season with a memorable run in the conference tournament. Rice beat Southern Miss and Marshall in the conference tournament, setting the stage for what many around the program hope will be a deeper run in the season to come.

Key Question

Entering last season, Rice returned a meager 26.4 percent of their scoring from the season prior. This time around, Rice brings back 86.3 percent of it’s scoring. The continuity is not something lost on Pera, who called consistency something “that has become increasingly difficult” it today’s age of college basketball.

With several of the same faces back, the question moves from who will produce to this, in Pera’s own words: “How mentally tough are we? How are we going to deal with adversity?” Whether or not Rice is able to be resilient and respond under pressure will be a major factor in determining how high the ceiling can be for this team.

Rice Basketball Schedule | Key Games/Dates

Nov. 9, 2021 – Season opener vs Pepperdine at Tudor Fieldhouse
Nov. 12, 2021 – Owls visit Houston at the Fertitta Center
Nov. 22-24, 2021 – Gulf Coast Showcase Tournament
Dec. 22, 2021 – Non-conference finale at Texas
Jan. 1, 2021 – Conference USA first road game vs North Texas
Jan. 6, 2021 – Conference USA home opener vs Middle Tennessee
Mar. 8, 2021 – Conference USA Tournament

You can find the complete 2021-2022 Rice basketball schedule here.

Key Returners

Chris Mullins, Guard (Jr.)

Prior to the arrival of two grad transfers, Mullins was the old soul on this roster. He’s the only player on the roster than started at least 20 games for Rice in three consecutive seasons. Mullins is an aggressive defender with the speed to take the ball and finish at the rim. His experience in this system and productivity on both sides of the court will pay dividends for Rice.

Quincy Olivari, Guard (So.)

Olivari broke out in a big way last season, making the jump from a role player to one of the most lethal distance shooters in Conference USA. A preseason all-conference honoree, Olivari will be looking to build on his 16.3 points per game and 40.6 percentage from three he compiled last season. He’s quickly become one of the most vocal members of this team.

Max Fiedler, Forward (So.)

Fiedler also elevated his play significantly last season, doubling his playing time (12 minutes per game to 28 minutes), rebounds (4.1 per game to 8.8) and almost quintupling his scoring (2.7 points per game to 11.2). He’s more than just a big body in the middle. Fiedler has good feet and a keen eye. He’ll be a key facilitator, setting up the Owls’ outside shooters as defenses sag to stop him at the rim.

Travis Evee, Guard (So.)

Evee was cleared to play for Rice right before last season began, taking advantage of a waiver from the NCAA and becoming Olvari’s partner in crime from three-point land. Evee was named the C-USA Newcomer of the year, leading the team in steals (1.2 per game) while finishing second in scoring (13.7 per game). Another year of experience playing within this system with these teammates will only add to his impact on the court.

Cameron Sheffield, Forward (Fr.)

Sheffield is one of the most versatile players on the Rice roster, and although he might not be one of the five starters on any given day, he’ll certainly be one of the first off the bench. Pera identified him as one of the guys most likely to make a jump this year, saying “he’s a guy that just keeps getting better.” One of four Owls to play in all 28 games last year, Sheffield will be the ideal sixth man for this squad in 2021-2022.

Mylyjael Poteat,  Forward (Fr.)

Poteat might not be a household name yet, but he was the other player Pera identified as an up-and-coming producer. Poteat got his feet wet last year as a freshman, playing in 13 games, playing more than 15 minutes just once, a 17-minute outing against Southern Miss. He’s learned a lot this offseason and is someone Pera described as “a guy that has a huge ceiling.”

Riley Abercrombie, Forward (So.)

Riley Abercrombie is the only other returning player that played a meaningful role for this team on a game-to-game basis. He averaged 7.5 points per game, drawing 15 starts over the course of the season. He projects to be a reserve this year, but one that can shoot the three ball well (34 percent last season) and can rebound.

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Key Additions

Carl Pierre, Guard (Gr.) – Pierre trasfered from UMass where he was second all-time in career three-point field goals made. A high school teammate of Olivari, Pierre will join him in the starting five this season. He looked comfortable with the ball in his hands during the Owls’ exhibition against St. Edwards and figures to be a mainstay on the court this year.

Terrance McBride, Guard (Gr.) – McBride joins Rice after transferring from Cornell. Along with Pierre, McBride’s experience will be a boost to this team. Quincy Olivari cited McBride as someone that’s already made a difference with his leadership. Pera indicated he expects McBride to get upwards of 20 or so minutes off the bench on a regular basis.

More Names to Know

Jake Lieppert saw playing time off the bench last season, averaging 10.7 minutes per game in the 15 contests in which he checked into the lineup. Ben Moffat and Reed Myers are the only other returners that saw the court. They’ll each be rotation candidates this coming season, but minutes are going to be hard to come by.

Noah Hutchins was with the team last year, but injuries kept him off the court. Pera hopes to have him available at some point soon, possible as early as next week. Damion McDowell, Jaden Geron and Jackson Peakes are the newest freshmen signees from the most recent class. With so much depth and experience in place above them, they’ll have to fight for time in the rotation, but McDowell and Geron in particular stand out guys who could contribute down the road.

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