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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls fall to WKU at home

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Playing in their first home game in almost a month, Rice women’s basketball fell at Tudor Fieldhouse to Western Kentucky.

For the second time since mid-December, Rice women’s basketball took the court in a regulation game. The Owls played one game last weekend — and even that contest was delayed — by a snowstorm, rather than COVID-19, at least. Back on their home court, the Owls squared off with Western Kentucky, one of two teams in Conference USA still unbeaten in conference play.

Like they did against Middle Tennessee last Friday, Rice came out firing in the first quarter. Rice jumped out to an 8-2 lead, with all the Owls points coming from the arms of Haylee Swayzee. From then on, both teams seemed to settle in.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball midseason State of the Program

A 15-15 first quarter gridlock turned into a 21-21 tie midway through the second quarter then a 29-29 stalemate in the final 90 seconds before the halftime buzzer. Things would turn south for the Owls shortly thereafter.

WKU came out of the break firing, outscoring Rice 7-1 to start the third quarter as they opened up an 11 point lead. Rice struggled from the field and committed six turnovers in the first six minutes of the quarter. “I think we did some good things and made some great runs,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said in the aftermath, “but then we did some a couple of silly things, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot and negate the run we just went on.”

The Owls would draw close on a few occasions in the fourth quarter, but wouldn’t tie it up again. Western Kentucky ran away with things late, turning what was a relatively close game into a one-sided affair in the final minutes.

Player Spotlight | Haylee Swayzee

It’s hard to believe, but the calendar is turning to mid-January and Haylee Swayzee, a team captain and one of the core pieces of this young team, played in her fourth game on Thursday against Western Kentucky.

“It’s great having her leadership out there, her ability to pull the team in in the huddle and remind them what we’re trying to do. I’m grateful to have her back,” Edmonds said.

Swayzee started strong but wasn’t able to add much to her point total down the stretch as her shots missed the mark. Still, she managed to tie for the team-leading in scoring with 14 points, adding four rebounds and two steals.

Stat Corner | Not all threes are created equal

Western Kentucky dominated Rice women’s basketball in transition from start to finish. Not only was their spacing on point, but they found the right shots to take. Western Kentucky shot 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) from three, but not all of their threes looked the same.

On at least four occasions Westen Kentucky thundered down the court and found a three-point shooter unguarded by several paces who drained the wide-open shot. It’s a lot hard to make those kinds of shots with a hand in your face. In Edmonds’ own words, “Giving up wide open threes is not who we are or what we’re about.”

Final Box | WKU 78 – Rice 61

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball will have the quickest turnaround they’ve seen in some time ahead of them. The Owls are scheduled to be back on the court on Saturday against Marshall. They’ll hit the road next week for games against Old Dominion and Charlotte.

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“I don’t remember one bigger than this”: Rice basketball upsets UAB

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Rice basketball upset conference favorite UAB at home on Saturday, earning the marquee win of head coach Scott Pera’s tenure to date.

Ranked No. 38 in the NET rankings and No. 48 in KenPom, UAB entered Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday as the overwhelming favorites in Conference USA. They left with a loss at the hands of a now surging Rice basketball squad that has won two in a row at home.

When asked where the win ranked among the top moments of his tenure, Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera formed his hand into a thumbs up and raised it higher and higher until it left the screen of the Zoom call and continued to climb. “The Marshall win last year was tremendous. We’ve had some other big ones here too,” he said with a grin,” but I don’t remember one bigger than this.”

Wins like that don’t come easy. UAB led Rice by five points at halftime. The Blazers were shooting a staggering 60 percent from the field at that point and had seemed very much like the same team that had knocked Rice out of the conference tournament last March.

Pera and his team persevered. The fifth-year headman gave a nod to his assistant coaches that helped develop the game plan and reinforced to his team it would work.

“They never wavered in their belief that they can win the game. And that’s where it started,” he said. “If you don’t believe, you have no chance. And we believed.”

More: Rice Basketball grinds out win over Middle Tennessee

The Owls’ belief was tested early in the second half. UAB opened up a 10 point lead, but just when it seemed like the Blazers might pull away, the Owls’ shots started to fall. Travis Evee scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half. Carl Pierre contributed 13 of his 19 points after the break. Likewise, Mylyjael Poteat scored 14 of his 18 in the final 20 minutes.

Rice basketball also doubled down on their early control of the glass. They whipped the Blazers on the boards, outrebounding their foes 38-27. The 10 point lead by the visitors slowly dwindled. Pierre connected on a triple with 4:33 to put Rice in front for good before Evee iced the game with eight free throws in the final minute.

Player Spotlight | Mylyjael Poteat

Poteat battled injuries last season but was able to play a modest role down the stretch. He’s continued to grow this year, flashing here and there, but never truly becoming a consistent fixture on the floor, at least not until Saturday.

“Tonight, he was the difference. There’s no question about it. He was tremendous,” coach Pera said following the win. He praised Poteat’s renewed work ethic and credited his willingness to put in the extra work that paid off for Rice in this game. Poteat’s 18 points were a career-high. He also added seven rebounds.

Stat Corner | Win inside

The usual three-point-happy Owls were more balanced against the Blazers, repeating echoing traces of an inside-first mentality that helped propel them to a win over MTSU two days prior. UAB outscored Rice in the pain 42-34, but the 34 point total is night and day different from the 18 points in the paint they scored against Middle Tennessee or the 16 they mustered against North Texas.

Rice basketball made eight threes against UAB, tying the second-lowest total they’d had in a winning performance this year. Two games aren’t quite enough for a trend, but it’s a notable growth moment for a team that has lived and died by the three for so long.

Rice out physical-ed UAB in this game. They won on the boards. They found success in the paint. And most importantly. they played sound defense in key moments and hit their free throws. In every way, this looked like a complete basketball team on Saturday.

Final Box | Rice 85 – UAB 80

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball will get a few extra days to enjoy this win. Their next tip doesn’t come until Thursday night when they kick off road trip against Western Kentucky before heading to Marshall on Saturday.

Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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Rice Women’s Basketball runs out of gas, falls to MTSU

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Rice women’s basketball finally opened conference play this weekend against Middle Tennessee, falling to the Blue Raiders on the road.

Head coach Lindsay Edmonds had always known the 2021-2022 Rice women’s basketball season was going to be challenging. Her transition to the school, plus a thinned roster and the seemingly inevitable bouts with COVID-19 posed a daunting challenge. But even forwarned those obstacles would come, it was hard for anyone within the program to prepare for what they faced over the course of the past month.

Rice last played a basketball game on December 16. They finally made their way to Murfreesboro, TN to open conference play against Middle Tennesse only to have the game delayed by a snowstorm. Exhausted, they took the court anyway and somehow managed to reel off a 13-2 run to open the contest.

Staked to an 11 point lead, the Owls had hope. Then the more seasoned Blue Raiders, who hadn’t been out of action for more than three weeks, overtook the Owls and turned a close game into a one-sided affair shortly before the halftime buzzer.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball Midseason State of the Program

Edmonds was honest in her comments after the loss, “It’s been a really rough couple of weeks for us,” she said, “From tests popping positive, to canceling games, to extending an already long Christmas break even longer, practicing with as few as 6 players for several days, weather delays – trying to get back into game shape after 10 days of quarantine has been extremely challenging.

“But I’m not into making excuses. That was the hand we were dealt and we needed to respond better. Middle [Tenneessee] was the much better team today and we didn’t step up to the opportunity. I’m disappointed in our showing today but do believe there are plenty of things we need to and will learn from these challenges.”

Player Spotlight | Maya Bokunewicz

Playing in only her ninth career game, redshirt freshman Maya Bokunewicz was the bright spot for Rice women’s basketball on Friday. She exploded for 20 points, a career-high, propelled by four made three-pointers. Her 41.9 percent clip from deep leads the team, as does her 18 three-pointers made. She also added an assist and five rebounds. Altogether it was a promising day for the second-year player.

Stat Corner | One step too slow

There were plenty of numbers that did not paint Rice women’s basketball in a favorable light following this loss, but two stood out from the boxscore in particular, points in the paint and fast break points. Middle Tennessee almost tripled up Rice in the paint, outscoring the Owls 52-18. They also edged Rice 20- 3 in fast break points.

The paint problem is a nod to physicality. Whether it be exhaustion from a long layoff or too long of gap between seeing live action, Rice was a step slow when it came to protecting the paint. That followed through to the fastbreak as well. Middle Tennessee was ready; Rice wasn’t.

The men exhibited a similar lull last weekend against North Texas before bouncing back and defeating Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Hopefully, the women just needed to get their feet under them and will bounce back in a similar fashion.

Final Box | MTSU 87 – Rice 63

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has already had their next scheduled game against UAB postponed because of COVID-19 issues within the Blazers’ program. A replacement game was contemplated, but as of now, it seems likely the Owls will march forward as their current schedule dictates. That would mean home games against Western Kentucky (Thursday) and Marshall (Saturday) next time out.

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Rice Basketball: Owls grind out win over MTSU, move to .500 in C-USA

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It wasn’t pretty, but Rice basketball found a way to grind out a home win against Middle Tennessee, improving to 1-1 in Conference USA play.

Eager to return to the court, Rice basketball opened the scoring with a jumper from Carl Pierre and quickly worked a five-point lead when Pierre and Travis Evee notched back-to-back layups. Few could have expected it at the time, but that would be the largest margin between these teams for the remainder of the first half and well into the second.

Following a drubbing at the hands of North Texas last time out, Rice found themselves in a 40-minute fistfight. Rice eased up on the three-ball in the second half, aware that things weren’t falling, head coach Scott Pera opted to go inside.

Middle Tennessee threw the first few punches, taking a four-point lead. But as had been the case for the entirety of the evening prior to the Blue Raiders’ run, the Owls would push back quickly. “We talked about driving the ball. We had them in foul trouble and that was the key, to get the ball in the paint,” Pera said adding with a laugh, “We had to adjust. It’s rare that I say to them ‘don’t shoot threes’.”

More: Rice Basketball Midseason State of the Program

There wasn’t anything pretty about the seesawing scoreboard on Thursday night. Neither team was effective from the floor, turnovers appeared at inopportune times and any sort of rhythm seemed perpetually elusive.

Middle Tennessee would stretch their advantage to six. Rice would rally back. Things never really seemed comfortable, even after Pierre drained back-to-back threes late in the second half to give Rice a nine-point advantage in what had largely been a one-possession game. The contest dissolved into a free throw contest down the stretch before Rice closed out a 65-61 win.

“Just a tremendous gut-check win by our kids, there’s no other way to put it. Exhausted, running on fumes and refusing to give in, making a comeback and when they got the lead early in the second half, fighting back.”

Player Spotlight | Carl Pierre

Pierre recorded the first double-double of his career. He’s always been a scorer, but Pera said he’d challenged Pierre to rebound more when he arrived on campus. He reached 10 boards tonight, complimenting his team-high 19 points. He made two of the Owls’ five threes, both of which came late in the contest.

Stat Corner | Finding their stroke

Self-branded “Green Light U”, the three-point shot is inarguably the centerpiece of the Rice basketball offensive philosophy. Rice had attempted at least 20 triples in 10 of 12 games entering Thursday and continued to heave up deep balls despite more rim shots than usual.

Rice made two three-pointers in the first half, the second coming from Quincy Olivari with 9:56 to play before halftime. It wasn’t until the second half clock read 9:05 that Rice would make another. They’d finish with just five made threes on the night, their second-lowest total of the season — they convertED only three against North Texas last weekend.

To this point, Rice hadn’t won a game this year without making at least eight threes. On Thursday against MTSU, they proved to themselves they could win in other ways, a pivotal growth opportunity for this team. They failed to reach their usual production from downtown, but they made the shots when they needed to and walked away from Tudor Fieldhouse with a much-needed victory.

Final Box | Rice 65 – MTSU 61

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball concludes the weekend homestand on Saturday against UAB. Next weekend they’ll hit the road for games at Western Kentucky on Thursday and Marshall on Saturday.

Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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Rice Basketball: Owls ice cold in C-USA opening loss to UNT

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The men’s Rice basketball squad opened conference play on Saturday while the women were delayed. Here’s what we learned from the men’s loss.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball wasn’t in sync in their return from COVID-19 postponements, falling to North Texas on the road in their first conference game.

Things got off to an innocent enough start for Rice Basketball at the Super Pit on New Year’s Day. The Owls traded baskets with the North Texas Mean Green early and trailed by one-point following a layup from Carl Pierre with 10:52 to go in the first half. Rice would go almost six minutes of game time before their next field goal.

As the Rice offense wilted, North Texas caught fire. The Mean Green went on a 24-6 run from that point onward turning a close game into a blowout before Rice could get their bearings straight. Rice collectively shot a dismal 31.8 percent from the field and made just three of 14 attempts from three.

What they’re saying

“I thought our guys came out and defended well. They executed the game plan defensively. I thought our communication defensively was really good. We just couldn’t get a rebound. (North Texas) is a very good team. They are on their home court. They are tough and well-coached. They played better and deserved to win.”  – Scott Pera on the team’s performance 

Key takeaway

Poor shooting nights happen and we’ve seen enough from this team to know a 21.4 percent outing from deep isn’t likely to become a frequent occurrence. But it wasn’t just bad shooting that turned a tough game into a rout. Rice was gashed on the glass from start to finish.

North Texas outrebounded Rice 56-30. They edged Rice in offensive rebounds 28 to nine. Rice had nine second-chance points. North Texas had 23. The Mean Green shot 39.2 percent from the field — a subpar shooting night — but they made it for it with their aggression on the boards. The shooting will bounce back. Rice absolutely must do something to ensure the rebounding improves with it

Up Next: vs Middle Tennessee – Thursday, Jan. 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Rice women’s basketball has yet to begin conference play. Their New Year’s Day contest against North Texas was postponed.

While the men were able to get back to the court on Saturday, the women were unable to open their conference schedule as had been previously scheduled. We detailed more of the unique challenges facing Lindsay Edmond’s club in our December Subscriber Q&A.

Up Next: at Middle Tennessee – Thursday, Jan. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

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