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Rice Basketball upsets Duquesne to advance in 2023 CBI Tournament

March 19, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice basketball survived a three-point barrage by Duquesne and defeated the Dukes, moving on to the second round of the CBI Tournament.

A 12-Seed in the 2023 CBI Tournament, Rice basketball certainly didn’t play like an underdog in Daytona Beach on Sunday afternoon. After trading minor leads in the early portions of the first half, Rice combined a furious scoring assault with a stingy defensive stretch to go on an 18-2 run and take a 13-point lead over the Duquesne Dukes.

Duquesne didn’t stay down long, thundering back via a three-point assault. As Rice found success inside (dominating Duqeuense in the paint 46-18), Duquense knocked down 14 threes but did not hit a three for a span of almost 10 minutes of play, hampering their attempts at a comeback.

As has often been the case for Rice basketball this season, Travis Evee and Quincy Olivari led the way. After failing to score any points in the first half, Olivari came alive in the second, scoring a game-high 19 second-half points and propelling Rice to a late lead.

When asked what sparked Olivari’s key second-half resurgence, head coach Scott Pera credited Olivari’s maturity and poise. “I’ve coached him for four years,” he said. “Sometimes you say something to him and get on him and sometimes you say nothing because he knows… and he knew. And he was ready to go in the second half.”

The battle raged on that way until the final minutes when Andrew Akuchie hit a layup and Mekhi Mason followed that score immediately with a steal and two free throws. That put Rice up by 11 with 1:25 to play. Duquesne hit a few more threes from that point but was unable to dig out of the hole as Rice was able to survive and advance to the next round.

“It’s just another barrier we knocked down,” Pera said of the win. “[It’s] another step for the program and I’m just really proud of the guys.”

Final Box | Rice 84 – Duquesne 78

FINAL | @RiceMBB 84 – Duquesne 78

The Owls are moving on! pic.twitter.com/8cGWpmqoE2

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) March 19, 2023

Key takeaway | Making the good times count

Consistency hasn’t been the hallmark of Rice basketball this season, but the Owls have certainly been explosive. In this game, Rice went on runs of 11-0, 7-0, 6-0 and 5-0 (twice), leading by as many as 13 points toward the end of the first half. With those highs, though, came the lows. Rice allowed runs of 10-0 and 8-0, both in the first half.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball defeats BYU to advance in WNIT

Eliminating the lapses on defense isn’t going to happen at this point in the season. In the interim, that means the solution is making those offensive explosions count. When Rice is hot, making that extra shot to turn a 5-0 run into a 7-0 run will help buy them some cushion in the event they need it later in the game and history shows, that time will probably come.

Up Next: CBI Tournament vs 4-Seed Southern Utah (1:00 p.m. CT)


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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball Tagged With: Andrew Akuchie, CBI Tournament, game recap, Mekhi Mason, Quincy Olivari, Rice basketball, Travis Evee

Rice Basketball 2023 Roster Tracker

February 25, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

The Rice basketball roster will grow and change between the end of the regular season and the start of the next. Stay tuned here for updates.

Roster churn has become a part of college sports as we know and Rice basketball is not immune to the ebb and flow of players coming in and out. With the 2022-2023 season in the books, this page will serve as a running tracker regarding the roster for the upcoming season as it currently stands. The last official roster is available here.

More: 2023 Rice Basketball State of the Program

Feel free to bookmark it and refer back to it from time to time as players announce their intentions throughout the offseason.

Departing with Eligibility (4)

  • G Quincy Olivari
  • F Seryee Lewis
  • G Jaden Geron
  • G Mason Jones

Departing Seniors/Graduates (3)

  • G Reed Myers
  • G Jake Lieppert
  • F Ben Moffat

Incoming High School Signees (3)

  • F Keanu Dawes
  • F Gabe Warren
  • G Camp Wagner

Incoming Transfers (3)

  • F Sam Alajiki, Cal
  • G Noah Shelby, Vanderbilt
  • F Anthony Selden, Gardner-Webb

Current Expected Remaining Roster (10)

  • F Andrew Akuchie
  • G Travis Evee
  • F Max Fiedler
  • G Alem Huseinovic
  • G Mekhi Mason
  • F Damion McDowell
  • F Jackson Peakes
  • F George Perkins
  • F Cam Sheffield
  • C Ifeanyi Ufochukwu

Rice Basketball News

Rice Basketball, Rice Women's Basketball, Game Recap

Travis Evee makes history as Rice Basketball blasts UT Martin

Posted: November 30, 2023

Rice basketball rebounded from a tough road trip with a lopsided home victory over UT Martin, capped off by a record-setting shot from Travis Evee. Returning home from a disappointing road trip, Rice basketball reentered Tudor Field house in need of a jolt. It had been a minute since the Owls started a game with […]

Rice Basketball

Can Scott Pera elevate Rice Basketball? November Q&A

Posted: November 29, 2023

With football season winding down, Rice basketball was atop your questions for this month’s Q&A, specifically current head coach Scott Pera. It’s been a tough start for Rice basketball this season, its seventh under the leadership of head coach Scott Pera. The Owls are 1-5 and have yet to finish within 10 points of a […]

Rice Basketball, Rice Women's Basketball, Game Recap

Dominque Ennis, Rice Women’s Basketball drown TSU with threes

Posted: November 29, 2023

Rice women’s basketball and Dominque Ennis exploded from long range, drowning Texas Southern in threes en route to a lopsided victory. Rice women’s basketball returned home on Wednesday night in search of a bounce-back win following a disappointing road showing against SFA on Saturday. The Owls fell behind early against Texas Southern 6-2 but quickly […]

Rice Basketball, Rice Women's Basketball, Game Recap

Rice Basketball falls to UCI in finale, goes winless in Vegas

Posted: November 24, 2023

Rice basketball hung around through halftime, but could not last a full 40 minutes, falling to UC Irvine in their Ball Dawgs Classic finale. For the first time this week, Rice basketball opened a game by hitting their shots. After being ice cold from the field for the first two games of the Ball Dawgs […]

Rice Basketball, Rice Women's Basketball, Game Recap

Rice Basketball downed by New Mexico, falls to 1-4

Posted: November 22, 2023

Rice basketball fell to 0-2 at the Ball Dawgs Classic, falling too far behind in the first half to New Mexico on another tough night from three. It wasn’t quite a repeat performance of the night before, but it was another discouraging result for Rice Basketball which fell to 1-4 on the season following a […]


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

Recent Posts
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Filed Under: Basketball, Sidebar Tagged With: Alem Huseinovic, Andrew Akuchie, Anthony Selden, Ben Moffat, Cameron Sheffield, Camp Wagner, Damion McDowell, Gabe Warren, George Perkins, Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, Jackson Peakes, Jaden Geron, Jake Lieppert, Keanu Dawes, Mason Jones, Max Fiedler, Mekhi Mason, Noah Shelby, Quincy Olivari, Reed Myers, Rice basketball, Sam Alajiki, Seryee Lewis, Travis Evee

Rice Basketball: Still searching for consistency and recurring “A-game”

February 6, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

An up-and-down Rice Basketball season marches on. Where do the Owls stand and what do they need to do to finish strong?

The story of the 2022-2023 Rice basketball season takes more than two games to tell, but the juxtaposition of the Owls’ dominant win on the road against North Texas on January 19 against a frustrating 10-point loss to the same squad at home 16 days later more or less sums up the kind of year it’s been for the Owls on the court.

At their best, they can hang with the league’s upper tier. But they’re not at their best every night, and therein lies the problem and the questions, many of which remain unanswered.

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Photo credit: Maria Lysaker

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

Recent Posts
  • Can Scott Pera elevate Rice Basketball? November Q&A
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Filed Under: Basketball, Featured, Premium Tagged With: Alem Huseinovic, Andrew Akuchie, Jake Lieppert, Quincy Olivari, Rice basketball, Travis Evee

Rice Basketball 2022 Roster Tracker

April 7, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

The Rice basketball roster will grow and change between the end of the regular season and the start of the next. Stay tuned here for updates.

Roster churn has become a part of college sports as we know and Rice basketball is not immune to the ebb and flow of players coming in and out. With the 2021-2022 season in the books, this page will serve as a running tracker regarding the roster for the upcoming season as it currently stands. The last official roster is available here.

Feel free to bookmark it and refer back to it from time to time as players announce their intentions throughout the offseason.

Departing with Eligibility (4)

  • C Mylyjael Poteat
  • G Chris Mullins
  • F Riley Abercrombie
  • G Noah Hutchins

Departing Seniors/Graduates (2)

  • G Terrance McBride
  • G Carl Pierre

Incoming High School Signees (3)

  • G Mekhi Mason
  • G Mason Jones
  • F Andrew Akuchie

Incoming Transfers (2)

  • F Seryee Lewis, Kansas State
  • G Alem Huseinovic, Nevada

Current Expected Remaining Roster (10)

  • G Jaden Geron
  • G Jake Lieppert
  • G Travis Evee
  • G Quincy Olivari
  • F Cam Sheffield
  • F Ben Moffat
  • G Reed Myers
  • F Max Fiedler
  • F Damion McDowell
  • F Jackson Peakes

Rice Basketball News

Rice Basketball, Rice Women's Basketball, Game Recap

Travis Evee makes history as Rice Basketball blasts UT Martin

Posted: November 30, 2023

Rice basketball rebounded from a tough road trip with a lopsided home victory over UT Martin, capped off by a record-setting shot from Travis Evee. Returning home from a disappointing road trip, Rice basketball reentered Tudor Field house in need of a jolt. It had been a minute since the Owls started a game with […]

Rice Basketball

Can Scott Pera elevate Rice Basketball? November Q&A

Posted: November 29, 2023

With football season winding down, Rice basketball was atop your questions for this month’s Q&A, specifically current head coach Scott Pera. It’s been a tough start for Rice basketball this season, its seventh under the leadership of head coach Scott Pera. The Owls are 1-5 and have yet to finish within 10 points of a […]

Rice Basketball, Rice Women's Basketball, Game Recap

Dominque Ennis, Rice Women’s Basketball drown TSU with threes

Posted: November 29, 2023

Rice women’s basketball and Dominque Ennis exploded from long range, drowning Texas Southern in threes en route to a lopsided victory. Rice women’s basketball returned home on Wednesday night in search of a bounce-back win following a disappointing road showing against SFA on Saturday. The Owls fell behind early against Texas Southern 6-2 but quickly […]

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Rice Basketball falls to UCI in finale, goes winless in Vegas

Posted: November 24, 2023

Rice basketball hung around through halftime, but could not last a full 40 minutes, falling to UC Irvine in their Ball Dawgs Classic finale. For the first time this week, Rice basketball opened a game by hitting their shots. After being ice cold from the field for the first two games of the Ball Dawgs […]

Rice Basketball, Rice Women's Basketball, Game Recap

Rice Basketball downed by New Mexico, falls to 1-4

Posted: November 22, 2023

Rice basketball fell to 0-2 at the Ball Dawgs Classic, falling too far behind in the first half to New Mexico on another tough night from three. It wasn’t quite a repeat performance of the night before, but it was another discouraging result for Rice Basketball which fell to 1-4 on the season following a […]


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

Recent Posts
  • Can Scott Pera elevate Rice Basketball? November Q&A
  • Dominque Ennis, Rice Women’s Basketball drown TSU with threes
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 169 – Rice Football is bowl bound!
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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball Tagged With: Andrew Akuchie, Cameron Sheffield, Carl Pierre, Chris Mullins, Damion McDowell, Jackson Peakes, Jaden Geron, Jake Lieppert, Mason Jones, Max Fiedler, Mekhi Mason, Mylyjael Poteat, Noah Hutchins, Quincy Olivari, Reed Myers, Rice basketball, Riley Abercrombie, Terrance McBride, Travis Evee

Rice Basketball Recruiting: Forward Andrew Akuchie commits to Owls

September 8, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2022 Rice basketball recruiting class added one more to their numbers this week, picking up a commitment from versatile forward Andrew Akuchie.

After retooling the roster prior to the 2021 season, the 2022 Rice Basketball recruiting class was likely slated to include a handful of players. The longest-tenured commitment comes from guard Mekhi Mason committed in January. Now, with the summer winding to a close, Rice adds the first forward in the 2022 class: Andrew Akuchie.

Akuchie hails from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Like King and Mason before him, this out-of-state product should fit in well with the Owls’ fast pace offensive style. Akuchie mentioned the Owls’ tempo and willingness to push the ball in transition was something he was particularly excited to be apart of when he gets to campus, mentioning Pera’s willingness to let his players make plays. “Anyone can push the ball in transition,” Akuchie said.

On the court, the fit makes a lot of sense. The 6-foot-8 forward can hold his own inside and has the ability to score from different levels of the court. Aligning him with the quick-trigger guard play already on campus will add an extra dimension to the Owls’ offense.

At the time of his commitment, Akuchie picks Rice over offers from Albany, Lafayette and Canisius. All four programs had offered Akuchie over the summer, Albany first in early May and Rice coming not long after in mid June.  Princeton and Holy Cross were in the running down the stretch, but after some time to get to know the staff and get a better feel for Rice, Akuchie had seen all he needed to see to make his decision.

“The coaching staff [is] supportive,” he said, adding it was evident that the coaches “care a lot about their players.” That familial atmosphere was important for him. And now he’s set to be a Rice Owl.


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

Recent Posts
  • Can Scott Pera elevate Rice Basketball? November Q&A
  • Dominque Ennis, Rice Women’s Basketball drown TSU with threes
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 169 – Rice Football is bowl bound!
  • Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 12 Roundup

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Andrew Akuchie, Rice basketball, Rice basketball recruiting

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