The source for Rice sports news

Rice Basketball Recruiting: Guard Mekhi Mason commits to Owls

By

Rice basketball recruiting is finding success off the court while the Owls win on it. Guard Mekhi Mason has committed to the Owls.

It’s been a great couple of weeks for Rice basketball. The Owls started off their 2020-2021 season with a 9-3 record, including an impressive 3-1 start in conference play. They entered the weekend tied for the most wins in the conference.

But the positive moment wasn’t limited to the court. Rice basketball recruiting was gaining momentum, too. As the Owls excelled on the hardwood they also bolstered their future with the commitment of 6-foot-5 guard Mekhi Mason from AZ Compass Prep School in Arizona. Mason also had offers from Grand Canyon and North Carolina A&T.

Mason is the second commitment in the 2022 class. Andrew King, a 6-foot-3 guard also from the state of Arizona, pledged his services to Rice last fall. Like King, Mason is a high school junior. Returning to the high school ranks is refreshing for the Owls following an unusual offseason flush with transfers and graduation.

The addition of Mason should give Rice some more length at the guard spot, filling a gap left by some of the departing players. Mason uses that length well, elevating over defenders when he pulls up to shoot while still maintaining an ability to get to the basket quickly.  He’ll fit well in the scheme head coach Scott Pera likes to utilize, making him a great pick up for the 2022 class.

It’s hard to make too many definitive assessments of what rosters will look like next season in the age of the Transfer Portal and in the midst of COVID-19. For the time being, though, the Owls look to be setting themselves up well.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs Old Dominion

By

Rice basketball is off to a strong start. The men split with UTEP last weekend and the women swept. Next they’ll both face off with Old Dominion.

Rice Basketball

Time: Jan. 15 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Jan. 16 at 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+

Old Dominion 7-3 (3-1), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 77-57 (W) vs Virginia Wesleyan
  • 67-82 (L) at FIU
  • 71-66 (W) at FIU
  • 71-67 (W) vs Florida Atlantic
  • 64-55 (W) vs Flordia Atlantic

Old Dominion statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Malik Curry – 15.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Kalu Ezikpe – 6.8 per game
  • Assists | Malik Curry – 4.4 per game
  • Steals | Malik Curry – 1.6 per game
  • Blocks | Kalu Ezikpe – 1.4 per game

Rice 9-3 (3-1), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 73-62 (W) vs New Orleans
  • 95-86 (W) vs UTSA
  • 84-69 (W) vs UTSA
  • 89-101 (L) at UTEP
  • 71-68 (L) at UTEP

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 16.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.4 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

Old Dominion goes the way of Malik Curry. When he’s on his game, the Monarchs are tough to beat, in part because it’s always a different part of the supporting cast that steps up to his aid.

Last Friday against Florida Atlantic it was Austin Trice with a big day off the bench. On Saturday, AJ Oliver led the way for the team in scoring. Stopping Curry is the primary objective, but staying cognization of who else can beat you is equally important.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m. CT and Jan. 16 at 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Jan. 15 – CUSAtv / Jan. 16 – ESPN+

Old Dominion 5-3 (2-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 73-39 (W) vs South Carolina Upstate
  • 85-92 (L) vs FIU
  • 80-81 (L) vs FIU
  • 71-56 (W) at Florida Atlantic
  • 77-72 (W) at Florida Atlantic

Old Dominion statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Victoria Morris – 17.3 per game
  • Rebounds | Ajah Wayne – 10.3 per game
  • Assists | Mariah Adams – 3.5 per game
  • Steals | Amari Young – 2.3 per game
  • Blocks | Amari Young – 0.9 per game

Rice 8-1 (4-0), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 53-57 (L) at No. 10 Texas A&M
  • 78-53 (W) at UTSA
  • 69-57 (W) at UTSA
  • 74-68 (W) vs UTEP
  • 55-43 (W) vs UTEP

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 14.7 per game
  • Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 8.1 per game
  • Assists | Sydne Wiggins and Jasmine Smith – 3.7 per game
  • Steals | Jasmine Smith – 1.3 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.2 per game

Rice keys to victory

It seems like every time these two programs meet on the hardwood a defensive struggle ensues. Neither squad is going to shoot the lights out, but they typically don’t have to against the bulk of their competition.

When they face off with each other, though, someone is going to have to make that last push. For Rice, winning the third quarter will be even more important. The Owls pride themselves on halftime adjustments and execute incredibly well after the break. If they can take a lead into the fourth quarter, no matter how slight, they’ll be positioned well for a big conference win.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Women’s Basketball: 2020-2021 Midseason State of the Program

By

Rice women’s basketball is off to a strong start to their 2020-2021 season. Where do the Owls stand as they enter the heart of Conference USA play?

In a year filled with so much change and uncertainty, the Rice women’s basketball season has proceeded according to plan. The Owls cruised through non-conference play, notched a marque road win against Texas Tech and gave a ranked Texas A&M squad a run for their money on the road.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

With non-conference play finished and the team two weekends into conference play, Rice women’s basketball sits at 8-1, owners of the best overall record in Conference USA and one of three teams yet to lose a C-USA game. Rice is 4-0 in league play for third consecutive season and won 38 of their last 40 C-USA games.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball 2021: Owls battle back for split with UTEP

By

Rice basketball split a hard-fought two-game set with UTEP, earning their most impressive road win of the season in the process.

It was a wild weekend in the desert for Rice basketball. The Owls were welcomed to El Paso by a garage of three-pointers in their opening game of the two-game set. UTEP hit five triples in the first five minutes of game one, screaming out to a 21-9 lead.

The Owls showed poise and maturity with their response. They battled back to take the lead, erasing a 12-point deficit in a matter of minutes with only one three-pointer to hastened the rally. The dogfight would continue into the second half before another Miners’ surge put things away.

UTEP came out hot again on Saturday, but this time the Rice comeback found staying power. Monster days from Travis Evee (21 points with five three-pointers) and Max Fiedler (19 points and 13 rebounds) propelled the Owls to victory.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball sweeps UTEP at home

Head coach Scott Pera was noticeably amped in the aftermath on Saturday. “That is a terrific basketball team that we just beat on their home floor,” he said, taking responsibility for gameplan decisions on Friday and lauding his team for responding well in the rematch.

The win gives Rice a split on the road, something head coach Scott Pera mentioned his team was aiming to achieve any time they left the confines of Tudor Fieldhouse this season. It was a physical, hard-fought victory, and one that Pera called a “statement” for the steadily rising Owls.

Player Spotlight | Max Fiedler

Fiedler began the season with three straight double-doubles, a strong start for the second year player. That would prove to be just the beginning for Fiedler who has been red hot from the field in the past five outings. Starting with a Dec. 21 game against New Orleans, here are Fiedler’s last five lines:

  • New Orleans: 2-for-2, 7 points, 12 rebonds
  • UTSA: 5-for-6, 12 points, 11 rebounds
  • UTSA: 8-for-8, 18 points, 4 rebounds
  • UTEP: 10-for-11, 22 points, 5 rebounds
  • UTEP: 9-for-15, 19 points, 13 rebounds

Altogether, that’s 34-for-42 from the field (81 percent) and an average of 15.6 points and nine rebounds per game. Rice lacked an interior presence this commanding last season. Not only have Fiedler filled that void, he’s turned into an impact player for the Owls on both sides of the court.

Stat Corner | Dependable from deep

Rice basketball shoots a lot of threes, that’s nothing new, but their accuracy from downtown has been noticeably better. Rice made 30 percent or fewer of its three point shots in 13 of 32 games last season, a rate of 41 percent. The Owls have turned that statistic upside down this year, failing to reach a 30 percent success rate from three just once in 12 games.

The Owls made 11 of 25 threes on Friday (44 percent) and eight of 17 threes on Saturday (47 percent). If you’re going to live by the three, you’d best be good at it. And Rice is one of the best teams in Conference USA from three.

Up Next

Rice returns home next weekend to face Conference USA East-leading Old Dominion. The Monarchs, like the Owls, are the only three-win team in their division. ODU split with FIU in their opening series before sweeping Florida Atlantic this past weekend.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Women’s Basketball 2021: Owls out-tough UTEP, move to 4-0

By

Rice women’s basketball stayed perfect in conference play, sweeping their second weekend series with two hard-fought wins over UTEP.

It’s been hard for visiting teams to win at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Rice women’s basketball hasn’t dropped a conference game at home in nearly three years. The Owls have been tested, just as they were this past weekend, but they’ve always found a way to come out on top.

Rice opened their first couplet of home conference games on Friday, outlasting surges from the Miners with strong defense and opportunistic shooting. Lauren Schwartz led the team with 16 points including three triples. Nancy Mulkey contributed five rebounds and 15 points. Nine different players scored.

More: Rice Basketball earns hard-fought split with UTEP in the desert

Saturday was another tightly contested contest. Stingy defense on both sides led to just 39 combined points in the first half. Had it not been for the clock expiring on a last-second three, Rice could have found themselves trailing at the break for the first time this season. Instead, the Owls took a narrow two-point lead into halftime.

Their trademark lockdown third quarter was once more a difference maker. Rice outscored UTEP 15-7, stretching the lead to 10 points. That gave the Owls plenty of breathing room to secure a 4-0 start in conference play. UTEP was held to 43 points on 27.1% shooting.

After giving up 68 points on Friday, the defense responded with tenacity. “I still think we can continue to get better [in rebounding],” head coach Tina Langley said after the series, “but I like our toughness and our ability to stick to a philosophy that I feel works really well for our team.”

Player Spotlight | Sydne Wiggins

Wiggins has been one of the most reliable and versatile players on the court for the Owls over the past three seasons. The senior guard scores, rebounds and finds outlets for her teammates. Her aggressiveness against the UTEP zone gave Rice crucial opportunities when the offense was slow out of the gate. On defense, she stuck to her opponents like glue.

On Friday, Wiggins set up her teammates for success, tallying five assists to her seven points and seven rebounds. Saturday it was her turn, leading the team with 15 points. The ability to do both well, to facilitate and to score, makes her an invaluable asset to the team and someone Langley called “a very dangerous player” for the Owls on the court.

Stat Corner | Gallegos ghosts

The Rice defense was superb once again this weekend, but their work on UTEP’s star guard was particularly impressive. Katia Gallegos came into the weekend averaging 17.4 points per game. She led UTEP in scoring, assists, steals and was second in rebounds. She’d been held under 10 points once in her first seven games, scoring 20+ three times.

Rice held Gallegos to nine points on 3-for-15 from the field on Friday. Then they followed it up by limiting her to nine points on 4-of-9 shooting in the first three quarters on Saturday. She scored eight points in the fourth quarter, but that came after the Owls had secured a double-digit lead. Too little, too late.

For the weekend she shot 31.0 percent from the field compared to her typical 46.3 percent, roughly 50 percent worse than her average outing.

Up Next

Rice hits the road next weekend for what could be their toughest test yet in conference play. They’ll play a Friday/Saturday set against Old Dominion, who along with the Owls, were one of three teams to receive first place votes in the Conference USA preseason polls. The Monarchs swept Florida Atlantic on the road this weekend after dropping both games of their opening series at home to FIU.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts