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Rice Basketball comes up short at Charlotte

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Rice basketball stayed within striking distance but was never able to land a finishing blow, dropping a hard-fought game to Charlotte.

It wouldn’t have been readily apparent to any onlookers Wednesday night that the on-court battle they were witnessing was between teams on opposite ends of the American Conference standings. Rice basketball took Charlotte to the wire, coming within a timely basket or two of upsetting one of the AAC’s best.

Rice was able to keep things close thanks to an inspired performance by their defense. Charlotte shot just 36 percent from the field and 6-of-27 (22 percent) from three, essentially relying on forward Igor Milicic (26 points, 10 rebounds) to carry the rest of the team.

More: Roost Podcast — Spring Roundup

Charlotte led by seven at halftime and increased their edge to as many as 12 points. But each and every time the game got to the brink, Rice battled back. Midway through the second half, Travis Evee and Max Fiedler spurred an 11-2 run that brought the game within three points. Then the battle was on.

Both sides traded baskets as the clock wound down. Anthony Selden delivered a slashing layup to get the score within two with 26 seconds to play. Charlotte would hit their free throws and hold on, but not without some labored breathing down the stretch.

Final Box | Charlotte 69 – Rice 65

Key takeaway | Workable rotations

It’s taken most of the season to get to this point, but Rice basketball seems to have found itself the right balance of starters’ minutes, bench usage and rotations between the two units. Andrew Akuchie has been effective in his minutes, but so too has Anthony Selden off the bench and Keanu Dawes, albeit not as much against Charlotte.

This roster has talent, more so than it did at this point last season. Trusting that talent to come through in crucial situations should be the next step of a progressing program. It hasn’t resulted in victories as often as the Owls’ faithful would have hoped, but the pieces are there.

If Rice can add an effective three-point shot to a roster that is effective up close — Rice led Charlotte 40-26 in points in the paint — they could make some noise over the last few weeks of the season. The players are there.

Up Next: at North Texas (Wednesday, Mar. 9)

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Rice Basketball can’t keep pace with red-hot Wichita State shooting

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Rice basketball traded blows early, but ran out of steam in the second half, falling on the road to Wichita State by a final score of 87-65.

Points were volleyed back and forth as Rice Basketball traded buckets with Wichita State in the early goings of their matchup on Saturday night. The first two field goals made, from each side, came from three, a harbinger of the fast-paced, high-scoring game which was about to unfold.

There were 10 ties and five lead changes through the first half. Travis Evee was productive, registering 11 points before the break. Max Fiedler tallied his 1,112th career rebound — the most in program history — as both sides shot better than 50 percent from the field and scored at will.

More: Roost Podcast — Spring Roundup

The second half was a different story. Wichita State opened the period on a 17-6 run, quickly turning a back-and-forth affair into a rout. “It went from three to 12 before we could blink,” head coach Scott Pera said of that pivotal second half run. “We needed someone to hit one.” That crucial basket didn’t come until the deficit had grown too large.

Rice would never get back within single digits from that point onward. Keanu Dawes, who had a team-high 12 points in the first half was held scoreless in the second half. As a team the Owls shot just 35 percent from the floor, unable to keep up with the Shockers’ torrid pace.

Final Box | Wichita State 87 – Rice 65

Key takeaway | Where’d the three go?

Rice basketball has built its offensive game plan around the three-point shot ever since Pera arrived on campus. They’ve generally had success doing things that way, at least when it has come to generating points on the offensive side. Against Wichita State, Rice made just six threes.

Travis Evee has been the go-to guy from deep for a while now. He was 3-of-8. But outside of his attempts, no other Rice players were a threat from long range. In fact, nobody else attempted more than three triples in the game.

A Rice offense without an effective threat from three is perplexing and perhaps it’s not surprising the team couldn’t keep pace with a productive offensive team on a night where the long ball was that fleeting.

The Owls don’t have time to lick their wounds and dwell on the failure, though. They have two games left to bust out of a tie with Wichita State in the conference standings and clinch a bye in the conference tournament.

“We’re going to battle and we’re going to prepare to win them both. It takes a team to stay together, through adversity, and not fracture,” Pera vowed after the game. “We’re going to keep working.”

Up Next: at Charlotte (Wednesday, Mar. 6)

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Shooting fizzles as Rice Basketball falls to Temple

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Rice basketball never found its groove from the floor, falling behind early against Temple and never rallying back.

It took Rice basketball a while to get going in an all-Owl affair at Tudor Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The visiting Temple Owls controlled the pace of the game in the early going, starting the score with a quick layup and holding Rice without a lead throughout the first half.

Even though Rice managed to hold Temple 28 points before the break, their own shooting woes rendered that workable defensive effort moot. Rice shot 23 percent from the floor before the break, going into halftime with a 28-19 deficit.

More: Roost Podcast — Spring Roundup

Things didn’t get better after the break. Temple opened the half on a 12-2 run, ballooning their lead to as many as 26 points as Rice continued to struggle from the floor. Travis Evee was 1-for-11. Mekhi Mason was 2-for-11. Outside of Max Fiedler, who finished with a team-high 12 points, no Owls saw any sort of success shooting the ball.

Temple had no such problems. They finished the night shooting 48 percent from the field, earning some payback from a loss to Rice in Philadelphia earlier this season.

Final Box | Temple 65 – Rice 43

Key takeaway | The race is on

By virtue of the loss on Wednesday, Rice basketball finds itself neck-neck with a grouping of six teams vying to avoid the final four spots in the conference standings and thus secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Among those in contention are the Wichita State Shockers, who the Owls face this coming weekend.

After Wichita State, Rice takes on Charlotte and North Texas to close out regular season play. Both of those squads currently reside in the top half of the standings. There isn’t a lot of wiggle room remaining. If Rice wants to avoid that first day of the conference tournament, another win (or two) would go a long way.

Up Next: at Wichita State (Saturday, Mar. 2)

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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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