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Rice Women’s Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs Marshall

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The Rice basketball had both teams in action last week, but only the women remain on schedule to play Marshall this weekend.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 20 at 11:00 a.m. CT and Feb. 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Cam Henderson Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Feb. 20 – CUSAtv / Feb. 21 – CUSAtv

Originally scheduled for Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 (Friday / Saturday), the series was delayed one day. The teams will now play on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 (Saturday / Sunday).

Marshall 5-7 (4-6), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 60-69 (L) at Western Kentucky
  • 60-75 (L) vs FIU
  • 65-56 (W) vs FIU
  • 70-80 (L) vs Old Dominion
  • 73-68 OT (W) vs Old Dominion

Marshall statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Savannah Wheeler – 18.0 per game
  • Rebounds | Alexis Johnson – 7.3 per game
  • Assists | Ksenija Mitric – 3.0 per game
  • Steals | Kristen Mayo – 2.0 per game
  • Blocks | Mahogany Matthews – 2.5 per game

Rice 12-1 (8-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 55-43 (W) vs UTEP
  • 77-66 (W) at Old Dominion
  • 67-59 (W) at Old Dominion
  • 64-55 (W) vs Western Kentucky
  • 77-74 (W) vs Western Kentucky

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 16.6 per game
  • Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 7.7 per game
  • Assists | Jasmine Smith – 4.3 per game
  • Steals | Jasmine Smith and Sydne Wiggins – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.4 per game

Whats’s at stake

Rice (8-0) is the only team in Conference USA undefeated in league play, but they don’t have much wiggle room. North Texas (8-2) and Middle Tennessee (10-2) are close and the Owls still have a date with the Mean Green to close the season. Holding serve against Marshall (4-6), even on the road, will be crucial for the Owls.

Men’s Basketball update

The men’s games against Marshall in Houston were first postponed by Winter Storm Uri then canceled because of COVID-19 concerns within the program.

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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs Western Kentucky

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The Rice basketball got back in the win column with a sweep over Southern Miss while the women look to return to the court this weekend.

Rice Basketball

Time: Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – CUSAtv

Western Kentucky 13-4 (6-2), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 58-63 (L) at Louisiana Tech
  • 81-73 (W) vs Marshall
  • 69-67 (W) at Marshall
  • 82-67 (W) at Middle Tennessee
  • 68-52 (W) at Middle Tennessee

Western Kentucky statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Charles Bassey – 17.8 per game
  • Rebounds | Charles Bassey – 12.2 per game
  • Assists | Davvion McKnight – 3.2 per game
  • Steals | Josh Anderson – 1.9 per game
  • Blocks | Charles Bassey – 3.4 per game

Rice 12-8 (6-6), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 74-86 (L) at UAB
  • 74-69 (L) vs North Texas
  • 53-79 (L) at North Texas
  • 88-62 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 76-68 (W) vs Southern Miss

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 15.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.2 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.2 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.9 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice basketball needs a repeat showing of their most recent pair of outings. Rice shot incredibly well against Southern Miss, made careful, astute halftime adjustments and battled down the stretch to hold the lead. Rice showed they do have that extra gear needed to win close games. Taking that on the road is the next task.

Rice is 5-2 in league play at Tudor Fieldhouse, but four of their final six games are on the road where they are just 1-4 to date. This team has the pieces. They just need to find that level of consistency away from Houston.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 12 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Feb. 13 at 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Feb. 12 – ESPN+ / Feb. 13 – ESPN+

Western Kentucky 6-10 (5-5), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 60-77 (L) vs Middle Tennessee
  • 100-99 3OT (W) vs Charlotte
  • 65-54 (W) vs Charlotte
  • 71-64 (W) vs Florida Atlantic
  • 70-75 (L) vs Florida Atlantic

Western Kentucky statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Raneem Elgedawy – 21.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Raneem Elgedawy – 11.4 per game
  • Assists | Hope Sivori – 3.8 per game
  • Steals | Meral Abdelgawad – 2.4 per game
  • Blocks | Raneem Elgedawy – 1.8 per game

Rice 10-1 (6-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 69-57 (W) at UTSA
  • 74-68 (W) vs UTEP
  • 55-43 (W) vs UTEP
  • 77-66 (W) at Old Dominion
  • 67-59 (W) at Old Dominion

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 16.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 7.8 per game
  • Assists | Jasmine Smith – 3.7 per game
  • Steals | Jasmine Smith – 1.5 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.1 per game

Whats’s at stake

The Owls haven’t played a conference game in three weeks. During that time other programs have experienced postponements as well, but the run of open weekends for Rice is approaching a critical juncture.

Rice has played six conference games. No other team in Conference USA has played fewer than eight. The vast majority have played 10 games or more. The average, including the Owls’ low-mark, is 9.71 games played per team. If that difference held, Rice would retain claim to the No. 1 Seed in the West and clinch a bye in the Conference USA Tournament.

Healthy and safety is, and should continue to be, the No. 1 priority for Rice athletes. If anything, the extended delay emphasizes the lengths to which the program will go to ensure its players’ health remains the focal point.

But if Rice were to miss another weekend, they could be playing catch up. Much in the same way the football regulations in the fall required a team to play no fewer than two games below the average games played by the conference, a similar ruling will apply to basketball. A team can’t lose a tournament bid by playing too few games, but it can lose a first round bye.

That makes the Owls’ upcoming series against Western Kentucky all the more important. As of now, that series looks to be on as scheduled. When Rice does get back on the hardwood they’ll have waited 27 days since their most recent competition, against Old Dominion on January 16. Keeping everyone healthy and shaking off the rust as quickly as possible will be imperative.

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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs Southern Miss

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The Rice basketball hopes to right a losing streak with a set of home games against Southern Miss. Here’s how the Owls stack up against the Golden Eagles.

Rice Basketball

Time: Friday, Feb. 5 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – CUSAtv

Southern Miss 7-10 (3-7), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 64-59 (W) vs Middle Tennessee
  • 64-70 (L) at UTSA
  • 72-78 (L) at UTSA
  • 63-76 (L) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 62-65 (L) at Louisiana Tech

Southern Miss statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Tyler Stevenson – 14.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Tyler Stevenson – 7.4 per game
  • Assists | Tae Hardy – 3.0 per game
  • Steals | Tae Hardy – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | DeAndre Pickney – 0.5 per game

Rice 10-8 (4-6), Last 5 (0-5)

  • 58-61 (L) vs Old Dominion
  • 68-78 (L) at UAB
  • 74-86 (L) at UAB
  • 74-69 (L) vs North Texas
  • 53-79 (L) at North Texas

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Travis Evee – 15.4 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.3 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.3 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

Southern Miss doesn’t shoot well, but they’ve become a fairly stout defense squad under the direction of head coach Jay Ladner. The Golden Eagles allow just 1.6 more points per game than the North Texas squad that gave the Rice guards fits all last weekend. The short bench and lack of free shooting space made for a long series against the Mean Green.

On the opposite side of the court, Rice should be able to grind things out. Southern Miss shoots 43.5 percent from the field and isn’t a particularly high volume shooting team. The Owls need to take it one possession at a time, create opportunities, and take advantage of them.

Rice Women’s Basketball Update

For the third consecutive weekend, Rice women’s basketball will be unable to compete because of COVID- and injuries. Their series against Southern Miss was postponed. The program remains on pause, with six games missed during the delays.

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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs North Texas

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The Rice basketball men fell at UAB last time out. The women remain sidelined, but the men return to the court next against North Texas.

Rice Basketball

Time: Friday, Jan. 29 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Sunday, Jan. 31 at 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Friday – Tudor Fieldhouse / Sunday – Super Pit
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – ESPN+

North Texas 7-5 (3-1), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 59-57 (L) vs Loyola
  • 77-70 (W) at UTSA
  • 69-77 (L) at UTSA
  • 63-33 (W) vs UTEP
  • 74-65 (W) vs UTEP

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jaylon Hamlet – 12.8 per game
  • Rebounds | Zachary Simmons – 6.1 per game
  • Assists | Jaylon Hamlet – 5.1 per game
  • Steals | James Reese – 1.3 per game
  • Blocks | Thomas Bell – 1.3 per game

Rice 10-6 (4-4), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 71-68 (W) at UTEP
  • 69-59 (W) vs Old Dominion
  • 58-61 (L) vs Old Dominion
  • 68-78 (L) at UAB
  • 74-86 (L) at UAB

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 16.1 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 5.9 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.2 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.7 per game

Rice keys to victory

Head coach Scott Pera was assembling lineups on the fly last weekend against UAB. The absence of Travis Evee on Friday and others on Saturday saw the Owls use combinations they hardly employed at all in their first 15 games of the season. No matter who is available against North Texas, the Owls must find a way to gel on the defensive side of the court.

Rice has enough shooters to get by, especially if Quincy Olivari or Evee gets into a groove early on. What they didn’t showcase in either of the Owls’ games this past weekend was the ability to defend well when put in situations outside of their comfort zone. As COVID-19 and injuries continue to throw wrenches into the best-laid plans, this team is going to have to find some sort of happy medium in that area.

Rice Women’s Basketball Update

For the second consecutive weekend, Rice women’s basketball will be unable to compete because of COVID-19. The Owls announced a postponement to their series against North Texas earlier in the week as the program remains on pause.

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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs UAB

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Rice basketball splitting with Old Dominion last time out. This week they’ll square off with UAB while Rice women’s basketball is sidelined.

Rice Basketball

Time: Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. CT and Jan. 23 at 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Bartow Arena
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – CUSAtv / Saturday – ESPN+

UAB 10-2 (3-1), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 66-69 (L) vs Chattanooga
  • 72-60 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 62-58 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 61-37 (W) vs Charlotte
  • 55-70 (L) vs Charlotte

UAB statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Michael Ertel – 13.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Trey Jemison – 7.5 per game
  • Assists | Tavin Lovan – 2.7 per game
  • Steals | Quan Jackson – 3.3 per game
  • Blocks | Trey Jemison – 2.3 per game

Rice 10-4 (4-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 84-69 (W) vs UTSA
  • 89-101 (L) at UTEP
  • 71-68 (W) at UTEP
  • 69-59 (W) vs Old Dominion
  • 58-61 (L) vs Old Dominion

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 15.7 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.5 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.4 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

UAB will be far and away the best defensive team Rice basketball will have faced yet this season. The Blazers lead Conference USA in scoring defense, allowing 56.4 points per game on a league-best 37.7 percent shooting percentage allowed. Their defense beyond the arc is particularly fierce, allowing 26.8 percent of three point shots compared to the Owls’ 36.8 percent hit rate. Something’s got to give.

For Rice, the notable difference between their distance shooting between last season and this year has been drive by shot selection and efficiency. Both will be harder to come by this weekend, but if the Owls can take the right shots with the right players, they’ll be able to force UAB to play catch up, something they haven’t had to do hardly at all this season.

Rice Women’s Basketball update

The women’s basketball games, originally scheduled for this weekend, were postponed because of a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing at Rice. This marks the first time since the Owls’ began athletic competition that they have been the initiating party for a postponement. They’ll look to return to action next week against North Texas.

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