Rice Basketball snapped their losing streak in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, posting a convincing victory over East Carolina on the road.
Days removed from a heart breaking loss to Memphis at home, their seventh consecutive conference defeat, Rice basketball came out with that same fire still burning. The Owls opened the game on a 7-0 run, waded through an up-and-down next few minutes before closing the half on a 6-0 run to take an eight point advantage.
Another stout defensive effort had limited ECU to just 25 points in the first half and kept their pair of talented scorers, C.J. Walker and RJ Felton, from dictating the game. That tandem did score — accounting for a combined 37 points throughout the night — but Rice clamped down on the remainder of the roster, a reality that was magnified as the game progressed.
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After ECU had drawn within six, Rice rattled off a 23-5 run, combining that suffocating defense with powerful work inside from Cade Powell, who scored a career-high 18 points, and timely three-point shooting from Alem Huseinovic and Emory Lanier. Before the Pirates could catch their collective breath they were trailing by 23 points.
All that was left to do at that point was to play out the string. The torrential outburst of Rice points drowned any real chances of an ECU comeback and notched the Owls a much-needed AAC win.
Final Box | Rice 71, ECU 60
FINAL | @RiceMBB 73, ECU 60 pic.twitter.com/NWvfEx44NQ
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) February 6, 2025
Key takeaway | At Last
A somber attitude would have been perfectly reasonable in the midst of an extended losing streak like Rice basketball has endured over the past month. Yet somehow point guard Trae Broadnax made sure to slip a quiet, but powerful edict into his postgame comments following Sunday’s loss to Memphis.
“The ball is going to swing back in our favor eventually, at the right time,” Broadnax declared, as if willing the positives he’d seen in his team over a series of game to coalesce into one, cohesive performance.
Wednesday’s decisive win over East Carolina wasn’t perfect but it was one of the most comprehensively solid performances this team has authored in weeks. Rice won the rebounding battle, didn’t turn the ball over too much and held their own from the free throw line. They played well. And when this team plays well in multiple phases, it should be good enough to win some games. That finally came to fruition on Wednesday.
“Most teams break during that kind of stretch, instead we’ve gotten better,” head coach Rob Lanier told Rice Owls Voice JP Heath after the game. “We’re getting better in the midst of our struggles. That’s a sign of connection, togetherness, and growing toughness. And it was on display tonight. And we can get better.”
It’s a long climb from 3-7 to where this team wants to be — .500 would be a good starter — but the version of Rice basketball that took the court against ECU is certainly one capable of beating a lot of teams in the AAC. They just need to find a way to replicate that effort again.
The silver lining? Even with this tough stretch, Rice surpassed last season’s win total with their victory over ECU.
Up Next: vs Charlotte (Sat, Feb. 8)
