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Rice Basketball thunders past ECU

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Rice Basketball snapped their losing streak in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, posting a convincing victory over East Carolina on the road.

Days removed from a heart breaking loss to Memphis at home, their seventh consecutive conference defeat, Rice basketball came out with that same fire still burning. The Owls opened the game on a 7-0 run, waded through an up-and-down next few minutes before closing the half on a 6-0 run to take an eight point advantage.

Another stout defensive effort had limited ECU to just 25 points in the first half and kept their pair of talented scorers, C.J. Walker and RJ Felton, from dictating the game. That tandem did score — accounting for a combined 37 points throughout the night — but Rice clamped down on the remainder of the roster, a reality that was magnified as the game progressed.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

After ECU had drawn within six, Rice rattled off a 23-5 run, combining that suffocating defense with powerful work inside from Cade Powell, who scored a career-high 18 points, and timely three-point shooting from Alem Huseinovic and Emory Lanier. Before the Pirates could catch their collective breath they were trailing by 23 points.

All that was left to do at that point was to play out the string. The torrential outburst of Rice points drowned any real chances of an ECU comeback and notched the Owls a much-needed AAC win.

Final Box | Rice 71, ECU 60

Key takeaway | At Last

A somber attitude would have been perfectly reasonable in the midst of an extended losing streak like Rice basketball has endured over the past month. Yet somehow point guard Trae Broadnax made sure to slip a quiet, but powerful edict into his postgame comments following Sunday’s loss to Memphis.

“The ball is going to swing back in our favor eventually, at the right time,” Broadnax declared, as if willing the positives he’d seen in his team over a series of game to coalesce into one, cohesive performance.

Wednesday’s decisive win over East Carolina wasn’t perfect but it was one of the most comprehensively solid performances this team has authored in weeks. Rice won the rebounding battle, didn’t turn the ball over too much and held their own from the free throw line. They played well. And when this team plays well in multiple phases, it should be good enough to win some games. That finally came to fruition on Wednesday.

“Most teams break during that kind of stretch, instead we’ve gotten better,” head coach Rob Lanier told Rice Owls Voice JP Heath after the game. “We’re getting better in the midst of our struggles. That’s a sign of connection, togetherness, and growing toughness. And it was on display tonight. And we can get better.”

It’s a long climb from 3-7 to where this team wants to be — .500 would be a good starter — but the version of Rice basketball that took the court against ECU is certainly one capable of beating a lot of teams in the AAC. They just need to find a way to replicate that effort again.

The silver lining? Even with this tough stretch, Rice surpassed last season’s win total with their victory over ECU.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Sat, Feb. 8)

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Rice Basketball drops thriller to Memphis

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Time ran out on Rice basketball on Sunday afternoon as the Owls came up short in a hard-fought battle against Memphis inside a packed Tudor Fieldhouse.

Rice basketball knew they’d have their hands full on Sunday afternoon when a ranked Memphis team came to Tudor Fieldhouse, but the efficiency and potency of the Tigers’ opening burst had the Owls straining to hold on from the opening tip. Jacob Dar gave Rice a one-point lead with an opportunistic put-back plus the ensuing and-one play before Memphis thrust their foot onto the accelerator.

Memphis outscored Rice 22-11 over the next seven minutes. The Owls weren’t lose with the ball and they shot it at a respectable clip during that stretch but the Tigers had the edge on the boards and made 4-of-5 from three to open the contest and jump out to a quick double-digit advantage. Then it was the Owls’ turn.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Fueled by tenacious defense and superb movement with the ball, Rice ripped off 11 straight to retake the lead, capped off with a three from Andrew Akuchie that sent the arena into a frenzy. Just like that, the game was on. While Memphis did jump back into the lead, Rice kept pace, heading into halftime within five points of the No. 19 team in the country.

The constant tension would continue into the second half. Rice would pull back within a score only for Memphis to find some breathing room. But even when the result looked to be in hand, Rice kept fighting. Down eight with 40 seconds to play, the Owls went on a 7-0 run to get the game back within one with 11.8 to play. Memphis prevailed with a last second steal, but not before Rice gave them a full 40 minute fight.

Final Box | Memphis 86, Rice 83

Key takeaway | Arrow Up

It’s hard to look favorably at a team that’s lost seven consecutive games, but it would he foolish to discard the effort Rice basketball displayed on Sunday. The last time the Owls played a team anywhere close to this caliber they lost by 22 at North Texas. That team looked disjointed and, at times, lost. The Rice squad that showed up against Memphis looked ready, composed and fierce.

“We’ve had plenty of reasons to have self doubt and all that and the fact that against a good team that was playing well — it’s one thing if a team comes in here and they’re missing all their shots and they’re shooting in the low 30s — they came in and played like a Top 25 team,” head coach Rob Lanier said. “I was hoping we could catch them on a bad day. They don’t seem to be having many of those. It’s a credit to them and their coaching staff that they’re playing at a high level.”

“They played at a high level today and we were right there with them.”

Memphis won on the boards, had more assists and led for more than 38 minutes. All of that, and still this game hung in the balance with seconds to go.

“We kind of displayed what we have in us, which is good. Sometimes when you’re struggling you can forget that you’re good. If girls keep turning you down, you might forget that you’re handsome. It’s important for these guys to believe in themselves, regardless of what’s going on,” Lanier said. “I thought today was a good exhibition of that.”

In many respects, this was one of the better games Rice basketball has played. The losses count and the dearth of negative results over the past month has significantly muted this team’s upside when it comes to regular season results. However, it’s hard to look at this most recent version of Rice basketball and discount them as a worthy opponent against any team remaining on their schedule.

Up Next: at East Carolina (Wed, Feb. 5)

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Rice Women’s Basketball stumbles at FAU

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Rice Women’s Basketball saw another fourth quarter go sideways on the road, losing to an FAU squad that entered the game at the bottom of the AAC standings.

Things certainly got off on the right foot for Rice women’s basketball on Saturday afternoon. Dominque Ennis connected on three three-pointers in the first quarter to give the Owls a lead on the road against Florida Atlantic. Buoyed by some timely baskets from Sussy Ngulefac, Rice kept pace with FAU in what turned into a physical, low-scoring affair.

FAU took its first lead in the second quarter and led for the third, but every time it looked as if the lead might get away from Rice, someone came through with a clutch bucket to will the game back within reach. That was true up until a 7-point FAU run to close the frame that put the home team up by eight and threw Rice onto the ropes.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Rice never led again after that point, ceding a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter that effectively put the game on ice. Rice would answer with an 8-0 run of their own, but the clock was not on their side. Rice would love by five in another game that got away from them late.

Final Box | FAU 66, Rice 61

Key takeaway | Consistently inconsistent

It’s hard to say exactly which version of Rice women’s basketball will hit the court next. At their best, they’ve contended with some quality teams. When things go poorly, games like this happen. FAU entered this game 1-8 in league play and four games below .500. Any way you slice it, this is one of the worst teams in the conference. But they just beat Rice.

And yet the game followed what is now a maddening, consistent formula. Rice battled an opponent tight for three quarters — it was a one-point game with 4:02 left in the third — only to faulter in the fourth and hang another loss on their ledger.

We’ve started to assemble a material body of work on this season and until otherwise, this might just be what this team is. When the three doesn’t fall — Rice shot 30.8 percent from deep — this offense is lethargic, at best, and their chances of winning plummet.

Up Next: at FAU (Sat, 2/1)

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Rice Women’s Basketball surges late to take down Tulsa

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Rice Women’s Basketball overcame a sluggish start, peaking late to notch a conference win over Tulsa at Tudor Fieldhouse.

It was a slow start for both sides at Tudor Fieldhouse on Wednesday night as sloppy play and shooting droughts turned the contest into a grimy, low-scoring affair. Rice began the game 1-for-17 from three and couldn’t find the mark from deep, failing to take advantage of what truly was a stout defensive performance in the early goings.

The teams were tied at 17 apiece after one frame and combined to score just 12 points in the entirety of the second quarter with a total of five made field goals in that 10 minute span. Turnovers kept either side from getting into rhythm as both teams went into the locker room in need of an offensive spark which proved elusive.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Dominque Ennis attempted to get Rice going with a three out of the break. Unfortunately, further shooting woes from both sides and a smattering of trips to the free throw line left the game still hanging in the balance well into the fourth quarter when the Owls’ bench stepped up.

Consecutive baskets from Hailey Adams and Kennedy Clifton stretched the Rice lead to eight, their largest of the game. Victoria Flores, who scored a career-best 26 points, delivered a backbreaking three with the shot clock running down to get the lead to double-digits. From there, Tulsa found themselves in too big of a whole to climb out of as Rice poured it on late with a 15-0 run to earn a rather hard-fought victory given the final score.

With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 19-0 all-time against Tulsa at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 64, Tulsa 45

Key takeaway | Finding an offensive solution

It was only a few days ago that Rice women’s basketball scored 84 points against Charlotte, finding ample success in the paint (40 points) and from three (36 points). The Owls success in the paint against Tulsa on Wednesday (36 points) proved to be just enough to get them over the hump. Nine points from three was underwhelming. That disparity was palpable from start to finish in this game.

“I’m just really proud of this group. I thought we came out and had a great defensive first half and the defense held us down while we had a little bit of offensive woes, but we were really, really tough and we found a way in the second half to get our offense going,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said. “I think we proved how tough we can be on both sides of the ball tonight and we did it for 40 minutes.”

Ebbs and flows come with basketball. It’s a volatile sport where even the best miss half their shots. What Rice women’s basketball lacks right now is a high enough floor on that side of the ball. If they can play defense like this, even a slightly more consistent offensive output will help them win games. Figuring out how to orchestrate that growth is the most pressing issue facing this team as February arrives.

“I don’t think we need to necessarily tweak anything. We go the shots we wanted in the first half they just unfortunately didn’t fall,” Edmonds said. “but on nights when the shots aren’t falling you can always depend on your defense and your rebounding.”

Up Next: at FAU (Sat, 2/1)

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Early lead fizzles as Rice Basketball falls to USF

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Early lead not enough as Rice Basketball dropped their sixth straight in AAC play, falling to South Florida on the road.

Rice basketball got off to a red-hot start on the road against South Florida, jumping out to an 11-3 lead before the Bulls could settle in. That lead would be short lived — USF rallied to tie the game at 11 shortly thereafter — but the aggressiveness Rice played with led to another big advantage, this time as many as 14 points as the final minutes began to tick away in the first half.

USF would not go away. The home team closed the first half on a 7-0 run and scored 14 of the first 16 points after halftime. All of a sudden it was Rice forced to play from behind. Trae Broadnax rose to the occasion, scoring six of the Owls’ next nine, willing the game into a slugfest, at least for a while.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Rice would get back within a point, but South Florida did not slow down. That small edge gradually grew as the game wore on with the Bulls banking multiple buckets in a row before Rice got a shot to fall. By the time the teams hit the final media timeout, USF led by double-digits and the Owls’ early lead felt like it had been so long ago.

A furious push in the final minutes allowed Rice to get the game back within three, but the rally would prove to be too little, too late as South Florida held on to win. Rice falls to 11-10 with the loss and 2-6 in conference play.

Final Box | USF 69, Rice 64

Key takeaway | Defensive dip

Rice basketball has now lost six AAC games in a row after a 2-0 start in league play. So many of these games have been decided on the margins, but if there is one throughline amongst them all it’s been an dip in defensive performance.

It’s not as if Rice has been a poor defensive team — entering Wednesday the Owls ranked second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage allowed — but the difference in their losing skid has been pronounced.

In their first 15 games, including AAC wins over Tulsa and Charlotte, Rice allowed opponents to shoot 38.5 percent from the floor. In their last six that rate has jumped up to 45.8 percent including a 40 percent shooting performance from USF.

This has still been a formidable defensive unit on most possessions, but ebbs and flows with the offense, turnovers and smaller losses on the margins have put this team into too many tough places. An 0-6 run is the result.

Up Next: vs Memphis (Sun, Feb. 2)

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