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.
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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
FINAL | Memphis 86, @RiceMBB 83 pic.twitter.com/BeYPXCI8bA
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) February 2, 2025
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)
