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Rice Women’s Basketball drops home tilt to Temple

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Rice Women’s Basketball fell behind early to Temple and couldn’t mount a comeback, dropping their third straight as the conference tournament looms.

Temple didn’t waste any time asserting their intentions on Sunday afternoon. As Rice women’s basketball slowly took their time ramping up, the visiting Owls jumped out to a 13-4 lead, putting the home team on notice. Rice volleyed back, evening the score at 16-apiece before Temple turned on the gas once again. By the time the first quarter ended, Rice was trailing by 10 points.

The Rice deficit hovered around that double-digit mark for most of the next three quarters. They had a tough time slowing down Temple guard Tarriyonna Gary, who led the visiting Owls with 20 points and knocked down all five of her attempts from three.

The long ball would prove to be too much for Rice to overcome. Every time Rice thought they’d cut into the deficit, Temple delivered a back-breaking three. Rice made 4-of-16 from deep. Temple converted 10-of-17.

A furious fourth quarter rally proved to be too little, too late for the home team. Trailing by 17 after a Temple three, Rice went on a 10-2 run, but they still trailed by nine. Malia Fisher led Rice in scoring, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds, a valiant effort, but eventually, the clock would run out.

Final Box | Temple 75 – Rice 66

Key takeaway | Crunch time

Entering Sunday, the top six teams in the AAC were separated by one combined game in the win column. With four double-byes available for the conference tournament, the margin was razor-thin. That made Sunday’s defeat particularly costly.

Now sitting at 9-7, they hold the tiebreaker over ECU, South Florid and Tulsa, but lack the tiebreaker against Temple, UAB and Charlotte with a game against North Texas looming. The double-bye is still within reach, but how these next few games go will play a significant role in determining who gets the extra rest. Rice cannot afford another loss.

Up Next: vs North Texas (Saturday, Mar. 2)

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Starting pitching propels Rice Baseball to series win over Louisiana

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Rice Baseball picked up a much-needed series win, taking two of three from Louisiana on the road behind dominant starting pitching.

FRIDAY | Rice 2 – Louisiana 1

Following a bumpy start in the regular season opener, Parker Smith dazzled in start number two of the year. He delivered a fantastic seven-inning, one-run, four-hit performance that kept Louisiana at bay while the Rice offense managed to sneak across two singular runs, one in the first and another in the third.

More: Parker Smith’s journey to Rice baseball ace

“We had opportunities to really blow this game open,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr. said. “At the end of the day we have Parker Smith out there and Parker through a gem.”

Manny Garza was credited with both RBIs. Davion Hickson came through with a two-inning save, retiring six of the eight batters he faced to secure the Owls’ first win of the season.

SATURDAY | Rice 6 – Louisiana 1

The JD McCracken show started and ended the same way, with a strikeout. McCracken punched out 11 en route to the Owls’ first complete game since 2019 (thrown by Matt Canterino against FIU). The only run he allowed was scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.

On the other side, McCracken was aided by a two-run first inning to stake him to the lead, then a tricker of additional runs in the fourth and seventh. Nathan Becker broke the game open in the top of the ninth with a two-run double before McCracken walked back to the mound one more time to slam the door.

SUNDAY | Louisiana 3 – Rice 0

Unlike their previous games, Rice didn’t get the first inning lead they’ve grown accustomed to having. Instead, Louisiana scored first, putting up two runs in the third inning against Rice starter Ryland Urbanczyk. That would prove to be the lone blemish against him, but no run production whatsoever from the Owls would make it the decisive runs in the ballgame.

Rice managed just two hits, making Louisiana pitchers face two more than a minimum in an underwhelming offensive showing that netted them zero runs. The pitching staff held its own, but was still saddled with the loss.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball took its first series of the season and has won three of its last four games after being swept on opening weekend. Here are three takeaways from the weekend:

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1. Starting pitching rebounds in a big way

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ON DECK | vs LSU (Wed), vs Stanford (Fri-Sun)

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Rice basketball drops ECU for first AAC home win

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Winners of several big road games, Rice basketball finally made history at home on Saturday, beating ECU for the program’s first AAC home win.

With the month of March looming, Rice basketball seems to have found another gear. Days removed from a statement win in Birmingham over a red-hot UAB squad, the Owls notched a program first — their debut home win in the American Athletic Conference — taking down East Carolina at Tudor Fieldhouse by a final score of 70-52.

The game ended in a blowout, but it took a struggle to get there. Rice never led by more than four points in the first half and didn’t hold a double-digit lead until less than 10 minutes to go in the contest. Those narrow margins were due in large part to an even shooting performance from both sides.

Both ECU and Rice made 11-of-27 shots from the field in the first half. Each side had one double-digit scorer, RJ Felton from ECU and Travis Evee for Rice. Evee’s 11 first half points would prove to be an omen of even bigger things to come. He finished with a game-high 34 points, leading all scorers and turning the close game into a blowout in the later portions of regulation.

Evee delivered 16 points in the final seven minutes of the game, turning an 11-point edge into a 20-point beatdown. ECU hit one final three-pointer before the final buzzer, but the message was clear. Saturday was Rice’s day. And for the first time, an AAC win on their home court.

Final Box | Rice 70 – ECU 52

Key takeaway | Exceptional Evee

Head coach Scott Pera has reiterated on multiple occasions this team goes as its leaders go, chief among them, Travis Evee. After battling through an up-and-down season, Evee exploded on Saturday to the tune of seven made three-point shots and 34 total points. The seven threes is one three shy of the program record, currently held by Evee himself, and two others.

The eruption was no surprise to Evee. “As a shooter, I’ve got to have confidence. Whether I’ve missed two, made two in a row. I stay even-keeled,” he said. “I just trust the work I put in. Nothing really changes.”

While the process might not have changed, the results certainly did for Evee in this game. Winners of two straight, with Evee a central figure in both wins, Rice has some momentum heading into the final games of the regular season. If Evee can play like this, Rice might be dangerous after all.

“I think we’re a good team. We’ve been a good team,” Evee said after the win. “We just haven’t been able to close out these games. Haven’t been able to complete runs. I just feel like we’re putting it together right now. I feel like we’re getting hot.”

Up Next: vs Temple (Wednesday, Feb. 28)

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Rice Basketball bullies UAB on the road

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Rice basketball made itself at home in Bartow Arena, blasting the hosting UAB Blazers in an onslaught that seemed out of reach by halftime.

UAB had won nine games in a row at home before Rice basketball arrived in Birmingham on Wednesday night. That streak has officially been reset, falling emphatically behind a comprehensive beatdown by a team letting out what felt like weeks of frustration on an opponent that wasn’t ready for the tidal wave that was heading their way.

Nothing seemed amiss early. UAB jumped out to a 10-3 lead behind a strong start from Efrem Johnson. Once that initial surge subsided, though, it was all Owls.

Rice would go on a 27-3 run over the span of the next eight minutes, evaporating the Blazers lead behind one of the most complete performances this team has assembled all season long. They held UAB to 24 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, pairing a stout defensive showing with big days from Mekhi Mason and Andrew Akuchie with double-digit performances from Sam Alajiki and Keanu Dawes off the bench.

“Tonight we played the best we could play in a really tough environment against a really good team, our guys were just outstanding,” head coach Scott Pera said after the big win, clearly elated.

Ahead by 25 at the break, UAB never got closer than a 16-point deficit in the second half, erased promptly by a 10-3 Rice run. Everyone got in on the scoring with Pera emptying the benches as the team neared the 100-point mark. Ifeanyi Ufochukwu would provide the final basket off the bench. On this night, 94 points would have to do.

“I just wanted us to play our best every night. That’s all I ever ask of these guys. Through all the struggles they’ve been so much fun to be around and coach,” Pera beamed. “They deserve this tonight. We’re going to enjoy it.”

Final Box | Rice 94 – UAB 71

Key takeaway | Home away from home?

In one of the most bizarre statistical phenomenons of the season, Rice basketball continues to play its best away from home. Rice has wins over Memphis, UAB, Temple and UTSA, all on the road. As the calendar nears March, they have yet to win an AAC home game.

Perhaps Rice fans need to show up wearing purple instead of blue when the Owls return home to face ECU. Maybe the team can check into a nice hotel and reenact the bus ride to the arena next time out. All jokes aside, whatever is working for Rice away from home needs to be replicated in Houston.

With only a few games left, Rice can still clinch a first round bye in the AAC Tournament. All they need to do is finish 10th in the league standings. They were on that seed line coming into Wednesday, but the win over UAB boosts the Owls’ chances. Rice plays two of their final five regular season games away from home.

Up Next: vs ECU (Saturday, Feb. 24)

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Early turnovers doom Rice Women’s Basketball at Memphis

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Rice Women’s Basketball struggled early and was unable to complete a comeback, falling to Memphis on the road.

The shots were falling early for Rice women’s basketball, but they weren’t coming often enough. Slippery hands led to an astounding 14 turnovers in the first half, forcing the visiting Owls into an uphill battle against a Memphis squad that did not return the favor.

Midway through the second quarter, the Rice offense started to slow down and Memphis began to widen the gap. The Tigers led by as many as 10 points before a well-timed three from Kennedy Clifton cut the Owls’ deficit to eight heading into halftime. Despite their struggles, they had a chance to make it a ballgame in the second half.

The tide began to turn in the third quarter. Memphis turned the ball over more than Rice who got the margin back within five points as the fourth quarter arrived. Emily Klaczek gave the Owls their first lead of the second half, but a last second shot wouldn’t fall, sending the game to overtime without the services of Malia Fisher, who fouled out near the end of regulation.

Rice made just one field goal in extra time. Memphis made three, pulling back in front of the Owls to hand them a costly road loss.

Final Box | Memphis 79 – Rice 74

Key takeaway | Protect the basketball

Memphis had nine more shots than Rice on Tuesday night. The Tigers weren’t roughly as efficient as the Owls, shooting 45.5 percent from the floor to the Owls’ 47.4 percent, but what the home team lacked in efficiency they were able to make up for in volume. That’s because Rice gave the ball away way too many times, committing 22 turnovers on the night.

Even when accounting for the seven Memphis steals, the prevailing storyline was mental mistakes and unforced errors. That’s how a team like Rice, which entered the night tied for first in the win column among all AAC teams, found itself in comeback mode against a Memphis team near the bottom of the standings.

Rice is a better team than Memphis. They didn’t show that Tuesday and there are only a handful of games remaining before the wiggle room goes away. There are no mulligans in March.

Up Next: vs Temple (Sunday, Feb. 25)

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