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MBB: Owls unable to hold off Old Dominion rally

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Rice basketball battled first place Old Dominion to the wire but fell short of the upset, dropping the Owls to 5-6 in Conference USA play.

Rice never seemed fazed or outmatched during their road game against the top team in Conference USA. The Owls and Old Dominion traded baskets throughout the first half of their game on Saturday. The lead jumped back and forth between the two teams with neither side pulling ahead by more than four points before half time.

It was Rice who took the four-point lead into the break, setting up an intriguing finish. The back and forth continued until Old Dominion emerged on top, 80-76. The Monarchs outrebounded the Owls 40-33, but the stat sheet beyond that looked fairly similar with both teams shooting about 45 percent from the field with more than 10 made three-pointers apiece.

Box

PLAYER FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
J. Williams 3-8 2-3 4-5 1 9 10 0 0 1 1 4 12
Q. Millora-Brown 3-3 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 4 6
D. Peterson 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
C. Mullins 6-11 0-2 2-4 2 1 3 5 1 0 0 1 14
A. Adams 3-10 3-8 2-2 0 1 1 4 0 0 4 3 11
R. Martin 4-13 3-7 2-2 1 6 7 0 0 1 0 1 13
J. Parrish 4-4 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 2 1 0 2 1 8
P. Moore 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
T. Murphy III 3-9 3-9 1-3 1 3 4 1 0 0 2 4 10

Player of the game – Jack Williams

Despite the loss, this was one of the Owls’ better games as a unit this season. Five players scored double-digit points. It was Jack Williams, though, who managed his sixth double-double of the year.

This team has done a lot of growing up over the course of the season. The freshmen have taken tremendous steps in just a few months, but it’s been Williams and guard Ako Adams who have paced this team with consistent performances night by night. Williams did it again on Saturday.

Up Next

After a brief two-game road trip, Rice will return home for a pair of games next week. First, they’ll welcome Western Kentucky on Thursday. The Hill Toppers have won four of their last five (prior to 2/2 UTEP game). Tip off is set for 8 p.m.

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Quarterback Jovoni Johnson commits to Owls

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Rice football has a quarterback in their 2019 class. Arkansas native Jovoni Johnson has committed to Mike Bloomgren and the Owls.

Houston, we have a quarterback. After a surprise decommitment from long-time commit Trevor Bycznski on the first day of the early signing period, Rice was left in need of a signal caller. The Owls could have gotten by without signing a high school quarterback in the 2019 class, but the number of injuries suffered at the position last year combined with roster turnover made getting at least one a clear priority.

After whittling down their list to a select few, Rice keyed in on Conway, Arkansas product Jovoni Johnson. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound dual threat quarterback held offers from Central Arkansas, Delta St, Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas Tech. Instead of staying near home, he elected to head south to Houston. Johnson made his pledge to Rice during the Owls’ first official visit weekend of 2019.

Johnson brings a unique skillset to the table. Not only can he sling it, but he also carries the ball with power. Slides don’t make the highlight tapes, neither does throwing the ball away. Nevertheless, Johnson’s willingness to power through contact and make plays however possible make his upside exciting. A year or two under the tutelage of Bloomgren and offensive coordinator Jerry Mack should unlock even more ability from an already talented athlete.

The quarterback room is better and much more diverse with the addition of Johnson. Adding his skillset to the flashes of production this offense saw from Wiley Green and Evan Marshman last season makes for a brighter future for Rice quarterbacks in 2019 and beyond. Johnson is a big pickup for this class and one of the finishing touches for the staff in the final days before National Signing Day.

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MBB: Old Dominion could be Owls’ toughest road test yet

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Rice basketball heads north to Virginia for one of their most challenging road games of the season. How to the Owls stack up against Old Dominion?

Coming off their first road win in conference play, Rice will be tasked with earning their first road winning streak on Saturday against Old Dominion. The Monarchs are one of the hottest teams in Conference USA right now, but the Owls have played them close in recent years. Rice and Old Dominion went to overtime last year and the Owls’ lone head-to-head win came at Ted Constant Convocation Center in 2015.

The game is scheduled for TV broadcast on ESPN+. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

Old Dominion 17-6 (7-3), Last 5 (4-1)

  • W, 72-61 vs North Texas
  • L, 74-73 @ UTSA
  • W, 50-48 @ UTEP
  • W, 76-70 vs Charlotte
  • W, 78-60 vs Southern Miss

Rice 9-13 (4-5), Last 5 (2-3)

  • W, 65-61 vs Charlotte
  • L, 89-86 vs UAB
  • W, 79-68 vs MTSU
  • L, 76-75 @ North Texas
  • L, 65-64 @ UTEP

Old Dominion players to watch

BJ. Stith and Ahmad Caver could be one of the best scoring tandems in Conference USA. Collectively the pair averages 35.0 points per game while also accounting for 13.4 rebounds. As they lead the charge, the rest of the unit fills in with superb defense. The Monarchs allow a CUSA-best 61.4 points per game and are outrebounding their opponents by an average of 5.7 boards per game. Smith is sixth in the conference, averaging 7.7 rebounds.

Rice keys to victory

Old Dominion has lost only one home game this season, falling by three points to a tough Marshall team who’s hovered around the top of the Conference USA standings all season.  In that game Marshall did two things extremely well: share the basketball and play fundamentally sound basketball.

If Rice is going to knock off Old Dominion, they’ll need to limit their turnovers. They’ve averaged 13.8 turnovers over their last five games and have a -3.44 turnover margin in conference play. The ODU defense is stiff enough without doing them any additional favors. Rice needs to play smart and take care of the basketball. If they can do that, they have more than enough firepower to pull off the upset.

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MBB: Owls best Charlotte for first conference road win

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Rice basketball capped off the month of January with their first road victory in conference play, taking down Charlotte 65-61.

It didn’t take long for Rice to get rolling on Thursday night in North Carolina. After trading punches with the home team the Owls extended their early lead to 11 points, the widest advantage they’d had at the midpoint of any game yet this year.  Things were looking good.

A double-digit lead against a 5-win team is right where the Owls had hoped to be, but life is never easy on the road. Charlotte battled back, erasing the deficit and then some as they outscored the Rice 17-4 in the first eight minutes of the second half. The shots weren’t falling, but Rice persevered.

Rather than cave, the Owls battled back overcoming a 38.5 percent shooting night with 11 made three-pointers on 22 shots. Trey Murphy, Ako Adams and Robert Martin all got involved from deep as the Owls pulled away for their first CUSA road win of the season.

Box

PLAYER FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
J. Williams 0-5 0-2 2-2 3 7 10 2 0 1 4 3 2
Q. Millora-Brown 2-4 0-0 2-2 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 2 6
D. Peterson 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0
C. Mullins 2-11 1-2 0-2 1 2 3 4 1 0 0 2 5
A. Adams 4-9 3-6 5-6 0 5 5 4 0 1 3 1 16
R. Martin 5-8 3-5 2-2 2 5 7 2 0 0 4 2 15
J. Parrish 3-6 0-1 3-4 1 0 1 2 1 0 1 2 9
P. Moore 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
T. Murphy III 4-5 4-5 0-1 1 3 4 0 3 0 0 2 12

Player of the game – Ako Adams

Rice trailed 58-53 with less than 3:30 remaining in the contest. They needed someone to seize control and will the team to victory. Ako Adams stepped up scoring eight of the final 12 points for Rice, doubling the amount of scoring he’d racked up in 36 minutes over the final minutes. The junior point guard has been a pacesetter for the Owls this season. When he’s clicking, the entire offense is better.

Up Next

The road trip continues on Saturday. Rice will stick around the east coast, heading north to Virginia to take on a red-hot Old Dominion squad that’s won four of their last five games. Knocking off the Monarchs would be the Owls’ most impressive conference win to date.

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MBB: Owls’ hope visit to Charlotte will be first CUSA road win

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Rice basketball has hit a rough patch. If the Owls want to get back on track they must take down Charlotte away from home.

With both programs sitting at 1-4 over their last five games, something’s got to give. Either the Charlotte 49ers three-game skid will snap or Rice will earn their first road victory in conference play. Both programs are teetering on the edge of the bottom spot in the conference standings, making a win on Thursday all the more important.

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

Charlotte 5-15 (2-7), Last 5 (1-4)

  • L, 57-53 @ UTEP
  • L, 88-43 @ UTSA
  • L, 76-70 vs Old Dominion
  • W, 55-40 vs Louisiana Tech
  • L, 64-60 vs Southern Miss

Rice 8-13 (3-5), Last 5 (1-4)

  • L, 89-86 vs UAB
  • W, 79-68 vs MTSU
  • L, 76-75 @ North Texas
  • L, 65-64 @ UTEP
  • L, 95-79 @ UTSA

Charlotte players to watch

It’s all senior Jon Davis or bust for the 49ers. His 21 points per game rank second in CUSA. He’s a talented player, but history says Charlotte can’t win very often on his hand alone. Freshman Malik Martin and Brandon Younger have had their moments, but outside of Martin’s 1.4 steals per game and Younger’s 35.6 clip from three, there hasn’t been much assistance for the 49ers’ veteran star.

Rice keys to victory

Making the extra pass has been a philosophy preached by head coach Scott Pera over the past several weeks. Getting his players to pass up the open shot for a more open look has paid dividends, with his team scoring 75 or more points in three straight games including 86 points in their loss to UAB, the second-most points they’ve scored in a conference game this season.

Charlotte owns the worst scoring offense in the conference. At 59.2 points per game the 49ers aren’t likely to outshoot the Owls — they’ve never scored more than 66 points in a victory this season. Continuing to ride the hot hand, whether it be Trey Murphy, Chris Mullins, Jack Williams or someone else should be enough to power Rice past Charlotte.

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