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Rice Basketball Comes Up Short vs Charlotte

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Rice Basketball came up one shot short, missing a potential game winner at the buzzer in a narrow home loss to Charlotte.

A layup from Charlotte’s Ben Bradford put the visiting 49ers just ahead of Rice basketball in the opening minutes of their trip to Tudor Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon. That proved to be representative of how the opening half would go, with Rice spending most of it just a shot or two behind Charlotte, but not much more.

There were five ties and two lead changes in the opening half, with Nick Anderson providing the bulk of the juice on offense for Rice, who would go into the break trailing by just two points. The game would remain close until the middle of the second half when the Owls’ shooting struggles helped contribute to a 10-0 Charlotte run. Rice suddenly found themselves trailing by 15 with the game all but out of reach.

MORE: Rice Basketball Midseason State of the Program

Rice did not go down without a fight, clawing back to within six points on a nine-point run. A late three from Eternity Eguagie got the Owls within two with 36 seconds remaining and Trae Broadnax made it a one point hole with a three-point play.

A heads up defensive play from Broadnax earned the Owls one final shot at the buzzer, but it would not go down. Rice Basketball falls to 7-10 with the loss. The Owls are 5-4 at Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Charlotte 74, Rice 73

Key takeaway | Defending Not Optional

While there has been no singular thread connecting all of the Owls’ losses this season, the step back in their defensive performance has been a frequent culprit. Now through four games of conference play, Rice ranks near the bottom of the league in opponent field goal percentage, a few ticks shy of 50 percent.

That, combined with a a sub-.400 shooting percentage, makes it hard to win basketball games, something Rice has found out all too often this season. This a team that doesn’t have one defining characteristic to hang their hats on when things get hard, which is quite the departure to the defense-first mantra head coach Rob Lanier preaches.

There are flashes of that top tier defense buried deep. Broadnax had a few plays in the closing minutes that came close to swinging the game, but from top to bottom, this roster doesn’t defend well consistently.

With the calendar approaching mid-January, this is likely what this version of Rice basketball is going to be. How the staff and the roster make the most of it will determine whether or not they can be competitive down the stretch or succumb to their maladies enroute to another disappointing finish.

Up Next: at UTSA (Wed, Jan. 14 at 7:00 pm)

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Rice Basketball Hangs On to Beat Wichita State

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Rice Basketball never trailed in the second half, fending off a late rally to defeat Wichita State in the Owls’ first true road win of the season.

A flurry of threes put Wichita State in the driver’s seat early on in their game against Rice basketball on Wednesday. The Owls trailed for the first 15 minutes of the contest before they hit their first three of the night from Jalen Smith, tying the game at 19 apiece.

From there, Rice would prove to be the aggressor. The Owls took a three point lead into halftime and grew their advantage in the second half, doing most of their damage in the paint, using the long ball as an occasional exclamation point. Cam Carroll’s three with just over 11 minutes to go stretched the Rice lead to 13, the largest by either team.

MORE: Rice Basketball Midseason State of the Program

As has been the case in so many Rice games this year, the Owls’ opponents had a second half run in them. The Shockers rattled off a 12-2 burst to get right back in the game, eventually leveling the score at 56-all with 4:31 to play.

Even a seven point lead with 41 seconds to play wasn’t safe. Wichita State was able to get back within three, force a turnover and come dangerously close to a foul on a made three point shot. The officials ruled the foul on the court and Rice escaped with the win.

Final Box | Rice 66, Wichita State 64

Key takeaway | Finding a way on the Road

Entering Wednesday, Rice basketball was 1-6 away from Tudor Fieldhouse. It’s not as if they hadn’t played close games, but those games had too often slipped out of reach by the time the final buzzer sounded. Finishing has been a problem for this team all season and one, which made this rigorous 40-minute battle all the more important.

Veteran guard Trae Broadnax, who was limited to four points in the first half, came alive down the stretch, making several key shots late in the game to keep Wichita State at bay. The team was able to overcome Wichita State’s late rally, and while they did briefly lose the lead, Wichita State never led in the second half. Finally, Rice basketball had finished and just as important, proved that they can.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Sun, Jan. 11 at 1:00 pm)

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Rice Basketball Outgunned by Tulsa on the road

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Rice Basketball couldn’t keep up with an explosive Tulsa offense, falling behind early during a New Year’s Eve loss to the Golden Hurricane.

Dreams of a Happy New Year’s Eve on the road for Rice basketball turned to nightmares in short order as the Owls were on the wrong end of a 10-0 start to open their game against Tulsa on Wednesday afternoon. The Owls missed their first five shots, falling behind from the first possession.

Rice would cut the deficit down to one on and 11-0 run, spurred by excellent shooting and timely free throws from Nick Anderson, who would go on to paced the team with 17 points on the afternoon. Rice would never lead, though. Tulsa volleyed back, pulling out to a 13-point advantage at the halftime buzzer.

MORE: Rice Basketball Midseason State of the Program

The margin hovered around double-digits for much of the second half until a series of threes from Tulsa’s Jaylen Lawal put the game out of reach, for good. Up by 25 approaching the eight-minute media timeout, the Golden Hurricane would hang on for a comfortable win.

Rice Basketball falls to 6-8 with the loss. The Owls are 1-6 away from Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Tulsa 97, Rice 48

Key takeaway | Stars Silenced

Tulsa entered this contest as the top shooting team in the American Conference. That the Owls would give up points to the Golden Hurricane shouldn’t be that surprising. Rather, their inability to mount an effective counterpunch is the more concerning component of this loss.

The emergence of Cam Carroll and the reliability of Nick Anderson have gone a long way to buttress a Rice offense that has been inconsistent this season. But those two alone can’t support a balanced attack than can challenge the likes of Tulsa.

Veterans Trae Broadnax and Jalen Smith combined for 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting with eight boards. It would be decidedly unfair to saddle them with the blame for this defeat, however, it’s hard to envision Rice basketball winning many games in American Conference play if those two are barely going to crack double digits together.

Up Next: vs Memphis (Sat, Jan. 3 at 2:00 pm)

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Rice Basketball: 2025-2026 Midseason State of the Program

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It’s been a mixed bag for Rice Basketball in their second season under head coach Rob Lanier. Here’s where the Owls stand as American Conference play begins.

Heading into late December, Rice basketball has completed non-conference play with a 6-7 record, with two wins over non-NCAA teams and some narrow misses against a handful of quality clubs away from home. The Owls have had their moments, but consistency remains a focal point as the calendar turns to January.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Can they take the next step? That’s the crucial question facing this squad as they wrap up non-conference play. Here’s where the Owls stand at (roughly) the halfway point, a few important milestones and notes from the journey and a recalibration of expectations for the rest of the way.

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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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