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Shooting Can’t Keep Up as Rice Basketball Falls at Pepperdine

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Rice Basketball was outgunned by a red-hot Pepperdine offense, closing out nonconference play without a single road win.

Cam Carroll opened up the scoring but Rice basketball still found itself playing from behind for most of their contest against Pepperdine on Saturday evening. The Waves took the lead right back from the Owls and held a minor advantage through much of the first half, although there were three more lead changes before the break.

The early minutes of the second half proved to be the Owls’ undoing. Pepperdine opened the period on a 10-4 run, stretching their lead to 13 points and putting Rice on the defensive. It took some time, but the Owls started to find their shooting stroke as they attempted to keep pace with their sharpshooting hosts. Pepperdine shot 49 percent from the field, straining a Rice offense that couldn’t recover from a much slower start.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

A 7-0 run just after the midpoint of the second quarter would briefly get Rice back within single digits, but Pepperdine rallied, keeping the margin right around 10 points for the next several minutes as the clock wound down. It was then that Pepperdine connected on five consecutive three-point attempts, effectively ending any hopes of a Rice comeback.

Rice Basketball falls to 6-7 with the loss. The Owls are 1-5 away from Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Pepperdine 84, Rice 62

Key takeaway | Road Woes

Had things gone differently in Fort Myers at Coconut Hoops, the Owls’ shockingly awful record away from Tudor Fieldhouse would be much easier to swallow. Yes, the quality of competition Rice has played on the road has been stout. Yes, many of those games have remained competitive, even going to overtime. Still, Rice has won one basketball game outside of the city of Houston in six tries.

The American Conference might not be chock full of sure-fire powerhouses as it has been in recent years, but the level of competition will still be rigorous. Half of those games are going to be played away from Tudor Fieldhouse. Plain and simple. Rice basketball has to find a way to win away from home.

Up Next: at Tulsa (Wed, Dec. 31 at 1:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Pushes Past Houston Christian

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Rice women’s basketball had another down shooting day, but still managed to overcome Houston Christian thanks to a dominant defensive effort.

Shelby Hayes set the tone with 10 first quarter points as Rice women’s basketball found itself in a dogfight with the Houston Christian Huskies on Saturday afternoon. There were six ties and seven lead changes by the 4:27 mark of the second quarter. That was when the home team was finally able to generate some breathing room, going into the break up six points, spurred by back-to-back three pointers from Mylee Guinn.

Houston Christian got back within three points in the opening minutes of the third quarter before Rice seized control for good. The Owls engineered a 15-point run, shutting Houston Christian out for more than six minutes as they built what would prove to be an insurmountable 18-point advantage.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

The teams would trade points in the fourth quarter, but by then Rice had emptied its bench and simply had to squeeze out the last few minutes of clock to secure another home victory. With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 10-3 on the season and 6-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 62, Houston Christian 42

What They’re Saying

What a way to finish December. I am so proud of this group and the focus and intensity that they brought all non-conference. We protected home, we defended and held teams to season lows, and we did a lot of great things that we can build off of going into the new season which is conference play. I am excited for the players and the staff to have a few days to regroup before we get into the grind of the American Conference. – Rice Women’s Basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Defensive Domination

The Rice women’s basketball offense has garnered much the attention this season as it works to develop the level of consistency it will need to compete at a high level in the American Conference. However, the growing pains on that side of the ball shouldn’t take away from the string of successful outings the defense has put forth over the last several weeks.

Rice held Houston Christian to 28.8 percent shooting from the field and forced the Huskies to commit 21 turnovers. The Owls kept their opponents uncomfortable for 40 minutes, even though their own shots weren’t falling with any sort of consistency. The level of competition is only going to go up from here, but the defense has certainly been a bright spot as the Owls close out nonconference play.

Up Next: at South Florida (Tues. Dec. 30 at 6:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Overcomes Slow Start to Top Grambling

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A tied game after the first quarter wouldn’t stay even for much longer as Rice women’s basketball got things rolling to post a comfortable road win over Grambling.

It came as no surprise when Rice women’s basketball posted a strong defensive start in their Wednesday afternoon road tilt against Grambling. The Owls held the Tigers to 21 percent shooting in the first quarter, yet somehow ended the frame tied. That deadlock wouldn’t last much longer.

The three-ball started to fall in the second quarter, with three different players helping Rice build a nine-point advantage which was quickly stretched to 17 points in the early minutes of the third quarter. Grambling was able to get back within nine on a brief 8-0 burst, but it proved to be a last-gasp effort as Rice seized control after that.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

The Owls led by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter, lengthening that edge to as many as 28 points before a couple of free throws and a layup in the final minute kept the game from turning into a true blowout. All in all, it ended up being a rather expeditious win for Rice, even with the inasuspicious beginnings.

With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 9-3 on the season and 4-3 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 71, Grambling 47

Key takeaway | Heating Up

Grambling is bad. Full stop. The 2-9 Tigers had no business being competitive with Rice women’s basketball on Wednesday and, for the most part, they weren’t. All of a sudden the Owls have won six of their last seven, with the lone loss coming to a Big 12 team by a single point. Their only losses on their resume came to a pair of very good teams (South Dakota State and Princeton).

Houston Christian is the only game remaining between Rice and a 10-3 start and a short reprieve over Christmas break begins with a highly-anticipated road trip to South Florida. After a shaky start, much like how this game against Grambling began, Rice women’s basketball is heating up.

Up Next: vs Houston Christian (Sat. Dec. 20 at 2:00 pm)

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Rice Basketball Cruises Past Southwestern Christian

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Rice Basketball blew the doors off Southwestern Christian in the Owls’ annual School House Mania game, swiftly dispatching the NAIA program at home.

Before a joyous crowd of young onlookers, Rice basketball delivered quite the show at Tudor Fieldhouse on Wednesday morning. The Owls’ annual School House Mania game began with a 7-0 run from the home team and quickly ballooned to a 20-5 advantage in just eight minutes of action.

The entire roster got into the mix with 10 players recording a field goal in the first half alone as the Rice advantage skyrocketed to as many as 25 points before the break. A flurry of threes from Southwestern Christian’s Cole Allen was the only thing keeping their team in the gym. But he wouldn’t connect on any triples after halftime as the game turned definitively in favor of Rice.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

A 16-0 run in the middle portions of the ensuing period, followed by a subsequent 8-0 run, came just shy of a 50-point blowout in favor of the Owls. Rice would have to settle for a 47-point victory with five players scoring in double figures.

Rice Basketball improves to 6-6 with the win. The Owls are 5-2 at Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Rice 77, Southwestern Christian 76

What They’re Saying

“In a game like this, sometimes you’re trying to see if your team has the discipline and maturity to do the things that you practice every day. There were some obvious moments where that wasn’t the case, but overall, I think we competed. We were a little bit careless with the basketball. In a game like this, when you get a lead and it’s evident that you’re going to win the game, that’s not an excuse to not play the game a certain way. But I thought we settled back in. We shared the basketball and there was an emphasis on us doing a better job of playing with some force at the rim.” – Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | An Opportunity Awaits

There’s not too much to glean from a blowout win over a non-NCAA opponent other than breath a sign of relief that the game went as it was supposed to go. What the win did accomplish, however, was extending the Owls’ current winning streak to four games in a row. Should they beat Pepperdine on Saturday, Rice would finish out non-conference play 7-6. Do you remember how impossible that seemed after successive overtime losses at Coconut Hoops?

Pepperdine is No. 283 in KenPom, more than 70 spots below Rice basketball, which checks in currently at No. 210. It’s a winnable game and one the program would do well to win in order to ensure they can maintain the momentum they’ve built over the past few weeks.

Up Next: at Pepperdine (Sat, Dec. 20at 8:00 pm)

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Nick Anderson explodes late to lift Rice Basketball past Arkansas State

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Rice Basketball picked up another gut-check win on Saturday, rallying from a 16-point deficit in the second half to stun Arkansas State.

Beginning with a 6-0 run to open the game, Arkansas State controlled their contest with Rice basketball from the tip, maintaining a modest but slim advantage through most of the first half. The box score showed a relatively competitive game, but Rice led for just 29 seconds when the halftime buzzer sounded.

It looked as if the Owls had regrouped well when Trae Broadnax hit a layup to even the score right out of the break, but a thunderous 16-0 Arkansas State run put the home team in dire straights. Seven consecutive missed field goals contributed to that tilt and the game slowly began to work back into balance when the Owls started seeing those shots fall.

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Body Howell was the one who gave them the initial spark but it was Nick Anderson, who had been shut out entirely in the first half, who took over when Rice needed someone to seize the moment. Anderson scored 14 points, all in the final 5:01, turning a double-digit deficit — Rice led by as many as 16 points — into a stunning Rice lead.

Anderson’s final three-pointer put Rice in front by one. Cam Carroll knocked down a pair of free throws to put Rice in front by three. Then the Owls had to make one final defensive stand following a jump ball to secure the comeback win.

Rice Basketball improves to 5-6 with the win. The Owls are 4-2 at Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Rice 77, Arkansas State 76

What They’re Saying

“I’m really proud of the guys. It was a game where things weren’t going our way in the second half. We finished the first half strong. We started the second half tying the game and had a chance to take the lead, but we just couldn’t get stops. It didn’t look good. I told the guys before the year that I wanted us to go undefeated, in the sense that we don’t have a defeatist attitude. That when things aren’t going our way, we stay in the fight. Tonight, we learned that lesson, and I think it’s the best way to learn that lesson. Even though I wouldn’t have drawn it up like this. We’ve had our fair share of wins like this, and those are the most gratifying.” – Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | Next Man Up

Rice basketball knows it can count on Trae Broadnax and Jalen Smith in big moments. Nick Anderson has become part of that trusted veteran corps, too. But what separates teams that can win occasional games and teams that regularly win the tough ones is how impactful that next wave of players can be.

The Owls are thin on proven depth, but those up-and-coming players have already started to shine this season. Carroll has been stupendous, but a season-high 11-points from Body Howell and 10 more from Eternity Eguagie were massive in this one-point win. Rice basketball won’t have to count on them every night, but if one or two players like that can step up, they’re going to start winning more of these coin flip contests.

Up Next: vs Southwestern Christian (Wed, Dec. 17 at 11:15 am)

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