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 returned home after a tough loss to Houston and defended home court, leading wire to wire in a victory over Southern on Tuesday.
In a game of runs, Rice basketball struck first and was able to finish late to stay perfect on their home court. Rice opened up a 20-6 lead in the first half only to see Southern claw away to make it an eight-point differential at halftime. The Owls outscored Southern 24-10 early in the second half, taking a 55-31 before Southern once again chipped away.
The Rice lead dwindled to as little as five, but Terrance McBride delivered four free throws, two each to bookend three-pointers from Travis Evee and Carl Pierre, as Rice ran away late, winning by a final score of 81-63.
What they’re saying
“All the coaches really harped on it all week how this was a game guys gotta be aggressive, try to take advantage of mismatches and go to work. I tried to come out and be aggressive and look to get some easy buckets down low.” – Max Fiedler on his mindset entering the game
“We ended the first half 0-for-10, so that was the first drought. And then drought is when they made their run….Flustered us for a second. We gained our composure. We got layups, got some stops and wore them down eventually. I’m really proud of our guys’ mature response to that.” – Scott Pera on Southern’s second half run
Key takeaway
Rice basketball was without Quincy Olivar in this game, still recovering from a wrist injury. Even without their leading three-point man, the reinsertion of Chris Mullins into the starting lineup proved equally important. Rice weathered their opponents’ best punches and was able to rely on several different players to respond. The win moves the Owls to 2-1 on the season.
Up Next: at New Orleans – Friday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Rice women’s basketball held serve against intra-city foe Texas Southern, flashing their defense on their way to a 2-1 start.
Malia Fisher (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Catelyn Crosthwait (17 points) led the way for Rice women’s basketball, who bounced back from a tough loss to Louisiana with a comfortable win over Texas Southern. Rice used a strong first quarter, edging TSU 15-9, and another big push out of halftime to set up a double-digit lead for the final 10 minutes.
What they’re saying
“It has definitely been an adjustment, I will say. Being so far from home, it’s nice having so many people here that care about you and that just surround you with family. Just being able to play on the court with a new team and new coaches, it’s a lot of fun.” – Malia Fisher on her early impressions of Rice
“It was good to get back out there. Obviously, Saturday left a bad taste in my mouth. I haven’t slept very much since so it was good to get back out on the court and compete and get a win under our belt.
It was a sloppy one, which I knew that this team, the way they played, it would make it be a sloppy game. But I was a little disappointed in our energy level. I’m not really sure.. I feel like we kind of just started out pretty slow, had a really great third quarter, which was fun to watch and then kind of fell back off again. So, young team, inexperienced team. We gott figure out a way to put together 40 minutes, for sure.” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s continued growth
Key takeaway
Earlier this week Rice women’s basketball led Louisiana 53-41 after three quarters before the Ragin’ Cajuns caught fire, finishing 8-for-8 down the stretch to knock off the Owls at home. Rice held a similar lead against Texas Southern, but this team held on finished things out with a strong fourth quarter. For a young team learning the ropes, the juxtaposition of these games and the growth exhibited are huge.
Up Next: vs Oklahoma St. – Saturday, Nov. 20 at 2:00 p.m.
