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MBB: Late rally falls short vs UAB

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Rice basketball narrowly missed a homecourt victory as they watched their final shot bounce out, thwarting the Owls upset attempt at UAB.

With less than 10 minutes remaining in the game Rice trailed the visiting UAB Blazers by 13 points. The Owls’ had put together a decent night from the field at that point but turnovers had cost the Owls way too many possessions. Rather than cave, they pressed in.

The resiliency of this team has been tested in recent weeks. They rallied to cut the deficit to one-point, staying within reach for the remainder of the game, right up until an Ako Adams three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer. His shot would have forced overtime, instead, Rice ended up three-points shy on the scoreboard, losing 89-86 to a surging UAB squad who has quietly won four games in a row.

Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 12 4-7 4-7 0-0 0 1 1 2 3 3 0 0 21 5
PETERSON 3 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 1 0 0 17 5
MULLINS 16 6-11 0-2 4-7 1 4 5 4 3 1 0 0 32 0
WILLIAMS 5 2-10 0-4 1-4 3 5 8 0 2 2 1 0 28 5
MILLORA-BROWN 11 5-7 0-0 1-2 3 5 8 2 2 2 3 0 31 -13
MOORE 0 0-1 0-1 0-2 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 11 -8
PARRISH 5 1-2 0-1 3-4 1 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 16 -10
MURPHY III 24 5-8 5-7 9-9 0 6 6 0 1 0 0 0 24 1
MARTIN 10 3-4 2-3 2-2 1 1 2 1 3 3 0 0 20 2

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

Trey Murphy scored 18 points in each of his most recent outings, a career high at the time. On Saturday against UAB he one-upped himself, tallying 24 points with a personal best five made three-point shots. It wasn’t just the distant shooting which paved the way for another big night from Murphy, he also went a perfect 9-for-9 from the line.

Shooting 71 percent from three doesn’t happen very often, but Scott Pera himself has given Murphy free range to take as many open threes as he can. He scored 10 points in two minutes on Saturday. When he’s hot, Rice needs to get him the basketball.

Up Next

A road trip to Charlotte looms next for Rice. The 49’ers are 5-15 on the season and 2-7 in conference play. They’re coming off a four-point loss to UTSA on Saturday.

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MBB: Owls’ seek another streak with home with over UAB

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Two days after ending a three-game losing streak Rice basketball looks to even their conference record at .500 with a win over UAB on Saturday.

Rice entered conference play with a 5-8 record. The Owls had put together some strong performances, but the consistency was lacking. They needed time to regroup and refocus. It’s almost as if a different team showed up after the holiday break. Their win over Middle Tennesse puts them one win away from returning to the middle of the pack in Conference USA.

To get back to .500 Rice will have to dispatch a UAB squad which has won three straight games, all against opponents who beat the Owls this season. Barring additional sets of unforeseen circumstances, the team will be ready for the Blazers on Saturday. A win would give Rice a tw0-game winning streak, their second of the season.

The game is scheduled for broadcast on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. CT. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

UAB 13-7 (5-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • W, 52-49 @ North Texas
  • W, 83-73 vs UTSA
  • W, 76-63 vs UTEP
  • L, 73-68 @ Southern Miss
  • L, 64-53 @ Louisiana Tech

Rice 8-12 (3-4), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • W, 79-68 vs MTSU
  • L, 76-75 vs North Texas
  • L, 65-64 @ UTEP
  • L, 95-79 @ UTSA
  • W, 78-66 vs Louisiana Tech

UAB players to watch

For most of the year, UAB has won basketball games with a suffocating defense. The Blazers rank fourth in CUSA with 65.8 points allowed per game and second in field goal percentage allowed, 40.1 percent. It’s been a complete team effort, sort of how the offense has gone for UAB, too.

Rice will have to keep their focus on the combination of Zach Bryant, Jalen Perry and Lewis Sullivan. The trio leads UAB in minutes played and seem to alternate on the night which of the three will have a big game. Most recently it was Bryant, who knocked down 6-of-13 from the field for 17 points, tied for his most productive shooting night in conference play.

Rice keys to victory

Play all 40 minutes of Saturday’s tilt with UAB with the same intensity of the final eight minutes against Middle Tennessee. After the second to last scheduled media time out the Owls outscored their opponents by 12, seizing control late in the game.

Rice shot 70 percent from the field after the timeout. Middle Tennessee shot 33 percent. A strong defensive performance from the Owls was just as important as their made shots down the stretch. This team has proven when both sides of the ball are operating well, they can beat anyone on their schedule.

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MBB: Strong finish pushes Owls past Middle Tennessee

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Rice basketball avenged a pair of close losses with a big home win, closing strong in the second half to take down Middle Tennessee at Tudor Fieldhouse.

“Tonight they wanted to prove that what happened before was a fluke.” A little bit of angst, tinged with relief, could be heard through head coach Scott Pera following his team’s 79-68 win over Middle Tennessee on Thursday night at Tudor Fieldhouse. This marked the third consecutive game in which Rice had held a double-digit lead in the second half, but this performance was different. Unlike in the final moments against UTEP and North Texas, they finished.

Rice trailed Middle Tennessee (now 5-15) by four points at halftime. The Owls had been out-rebounded 24-17. They’d shot a meager 27.3 percent from three and converted on five of nine free throws. It was a slow start against won of the least successful teams in Conference USA. They needed to kick it into gear, and they did.

Both teams traded blows in the second half. Rice went on a 9-0 run. A few minutes later Middle Tennessee responded with an 8-0 run. Then, in the minutes following the under-8:00 minute media timeout, Rice scored 13 unanswered points, turning a 1-point deficit into a 15-point advantage.

“We showed some maturity. We showed some growth,” Pera remarked knowingly after the game. His confidence shone clear. This team has plenty to work on, but finally healthy in front of their home crowd, they seem to be putting all the pieces together.

The Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 9 2-4 0-1 5-5 0 4 4 2 1 3 0 1 31 11
PETERSON 2 1-5 0-2 0-0 1 3 4 3 2 0 0 0 17 8
MULLINS 19 6-11 3-4 4-6 2 2 4 2 2 0 1 3 29 8
WILLIAMS 13 4-11 1-4 4-6 1 3 4 2 4 2 0 1 30 8
MILLORA-BROWN 8 4-6 0-0 0-3 2 6 8 0 4 0 3 1 24 6
MOORE 4 2-3 0-1 0-1 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 1 8 0
PARRISH 3 1-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 3
MURPHY III 18 4-8 4-8 6-6 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 23 3
MARTIN 3 1-5 0-2 1-3 3 7 10 2 3 1 0 1 27 8

Player of the Game – Trey Murphy

For the second game in a row, Trey Murphy was the catalyst for this young squad. It was his fourth three-pointer of the night which gave Rice their final lead of the game. The deciding shot was also his 18th point of the game, tying a career high set his last time out against North Texas.

“We knew that we had to play harder and give it 40 minutes, not 34 minutes or 36 minutes, an entire 40 minutes,” Murphy said emphatically following the game. It comes as no surprise then, that Murphy’s three-point shot which started the final push fell with just a little after 33 minutes of the game clock had expired.

Murphy’s shooting stroke is starting to settle in. That bodes well for Rice moving forward.

Up Next – UAB

UAB rallied from a half time deficit to knock out North Texas in Denton on Thursday night. The Blazers move to 13-7 on the season and 5-2 in Conference USA, locking themselves into a four-way tie for second place in the conference. If Rice wants to make a push up the ranks, they’ll need to get past UAB on Saturday.

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MBB: Owls set for get-right game against Middle Tennessee

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Rice basketball returns home reeling from back-to-back one-point road defeats. Can the Owls right their fortunes against Middle Tennessee?

A pair of one-point losses separates Rice from a 4-2 conference record, a mark which would tie them for fourth in the conference standings. Instead, the Owls sit at 2-4 in desperate need for another win to prevent a short stretch of bad luck from snowballing.

Coming off a game against North Texas, CUSA’s most winningest team, Rice returns home to play Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders own the worst winning percentage in the conference (5-14). This is the Owls’ get-right game. It’s not a must-win contest, but the schedule is going to get tough again in February. Rice needs to capitalize on this opportunity.

The game is not scheduled for TV broadcast but will be available on CUSA TV. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

Middle Tennessee 5-14 (2-4), Last 5 (2-3)

  • W, 75-72 vs UTEP
  • W, 89-86 vs UTSA
  • L, 73-56 @ Louisiana Tech
  • L, 77-70 @ Southern Miss
  • L, 63-56 vs FAU

Rice 7-12 (2-4), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • L, 76-75 vs North Texas
  • L, 65-64 @ UTEP
  • L, 95-79 @ UTSA
  • W, 78-66 vs Louisiana Tech
  • W, 73-65 vs Southern Miss

Middle Tennesse players to watch

Middle lives on the shooting hand of junior guard Antonio Green. They are 5-6 when Green scores 20 points and 0-8 when he’s held to 19 points or fewer. His 18.5 points per game are sixth most in Conference USA and he ranks fifth in with a 34.6 percent conversion rate on his three point shots.

Outside of Green the Blue Raiders get thin, fast. Sophomore guard Donovan Sims has scored a combined 36 points with nine rebounds and nine assists on their two-game winning streak. Junior Forward Reggie Scurry tied his season high in points on Saturday in their win over UTEP.

Rice keys to victory

This is a low volume offense that gives up 75.8 points per game. The Blue Raiders don’t score a ton, averaging 66.6 points. Rice scores at a much more aggressive clip, 75.3 points per game, but have given up 79.2 points per contest. If Rice plays their game and stays disciplined with the ball in their hands, the Owls should have too much offensive firepower for MTSU to keep up with.

The offense is only going to be as lethal as Chris Mullins makes it. After scoring double-digit points in 12-straight games, Mullins was held to six in the loss to North Texas on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. He hasn’t led the team in scoring since racking up 17 points against Omaha in late December.

Ako Adams and Jack Williams have helped carry the load offensively, but this team needs a bit more umph to put them over the edge. Mullins has that kind of talent.

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MBB: Owls suffer second-straight heartbreaking loss

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Rice basketball had a rough week. After falling to UTEP via a clock error the Owls dropped another heartbreaker, this time to North Texas.

It wasn’t a perfect performance from Rice on Saturday. There were mistakes and missteps which played a role in the evaporation of a 16-point lead which later gave way to the Owls’ third-consecutive road defeat. But it took, once again, a perfect storm of Rice mistakes plus unfortunate foul calls and bad bounces for North Texas to eke out the 1-point home win.

North Texas closed the game on an 11-2 run, led by six points (four from free throws) by Mike Miller. He finished with 12, one of four of the Mean Green to top double-digit points. Rice outrebound North Texas 41-31, but committed 18 turnovers to their opponents’ 10.

If the two teams played the final five minutes out 50 times, Rice probably holds on to what was then an 11-point advantage in 30 or 40 of those contests. The same is true of the final seconds of the UTEP game and several of the Owls close losses earlier in the season.

Unfortunately, there are no mulligans. This one stings, but a team which lost to North Texas by 16 a month ago led them by 16 on Saturday and lost by one. Progress is being made.

The Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 3 1-4 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 2 5 3 0 1 12 -3
PETERSON 1 0-1 0-1 1-2 1 5 6 1 2 1 1 0 13 -7
MULLINS 6 2-6 0-3 2-2 0 2 2 2 4 4 0 1 31 -12
WILLIAMS 20 8-11 2-5 2-3 2 8 10 1 2 3 0 0 34 -5
MILLORA-BROWN 4 2-5 0-0 0-0 1 7 8 1 3 0 0 1 17 -1
MOORE 4 1-3 0-0 2-3 0 0 0 3 5 2 0 0 18 13
PARRISH 7 3-5 0-1 1-4 1 1 2 0 3 1 0 0 16 -3
MURPHY III 18 6-9 4-6 2-3 1 2 3 2 3 2 0 0 32 8
MARTIN 12 3-9 1-3 5-8 2 6 8 4 4 1 0 0 28 5

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

Freshman guard Trey Murphy has shown flashes of greatness this season. His shooting smooth has always been smooth, but he’s been searching for his rhythm. He was the hot hand for the Owls against North Texas, playing a career-high 32 minutes on his way to a career-best 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from distance. His four three-pointers are the most he’s made in a single game this season.

Up next – Middle Tennessee

After an 0-3 road trip, Rice returns to the friendly confines of Tudor Fieldhouse. They’re 2-1 at home in conference play with the lone loss coming in their final game of 2018. Middle Tennessee lost 12 games in a row earlier this season. Despite their 5-14 record, the Blue Raiders head to Houston winners of two-straight.

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