The source for Rice sports news

Rice Basketball drops defensive slugfest to FAU

By

Rice basketball was able to hold FAU well under its seasonal scoring average, but couldn’t make their shots when it mattered most, falling to the Owls at home.

In much the same way Alem Huseinovic’s insertion into the everyday starting lineup for Rice basketball has come as a pleasant surprise for the Owls’ on-court production, so too was seeing him hit the opening layup to put Rice ahead of No. 22 FAU and then continue to ensure this clash of Owls was much closer than anyone else might have anticipated.

Rice kept FAU within striking distance throughout a contest most oddsmakers tabbed to be decidedly one-sided, mixing in a stout defensive effort with timely threes from some of the more unlikely candidates. Travie Evee didn’t make a shot from deep. Sam Alajiki had a pair of triples in the first half alone.

Even if the formula was unusual, it worked to a great degree, allowing Rice to keep pace with FAU throughout. That didn’t look like it was going to happen near the midpoint of the second quarter, but with FAU leading by a game-high 14 points, Huseinovic, Anthony Selden and Mehki Mason provided a burst that pushed the margin back down to single digits.

Free throws would play a pivotal role in the finale. FAU made its final 12 shots from the charity stripe, including a perfect 8-0 in the final three minutes. Rice missed its last four, effectively ending any last-chance attempts at a comeback.

Final Box | FAU 69 – Rice 56

Key takeaway | Functional defense

Wednesday’s defensive performance was more in line with the one Rice basketball fans were envisioning to start the season. It wasn’t a lockdown, stellar night of defensive execution, but it was an aggressive brand of basketball that forced FAU to make some mistakes and settle for less-than-ideal shots. As a result, Rice held FAU to 15 points under their season average. Three days ago they dropped 112 on UTSA in overtime.

If we’re nitpicking the defense, FAU shot a little below their season average but held a significant margin on the boards. Even still, it was a five-point game in the closing minutes thanks in large part to the defense. The offense and the free throw shooting certainly weren’t doing the team any favors.

No, it was a sub-50 percent free throw shooting performance and an off night from Travis Evee and Keanu Dawes (who combined to go 0-14 from the field) that was more to blame for the Owls’ coming up short than the defense. Strange times, indeed.

Up Next: vs Tulsa (Saturday, Jan. 27)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball outlasts Temple for first-ever AAC win

By

It wasn’t easy, but Rice basketball is heading home from Temple with their first-ever AAC win, taking down the conference’s other Owls 69-66.

The visiting Owls made themselves feel right at home against Temple on Saturday afternoon. Rice basketball knocked down a trio of three-point shots in the opening minutes, jumping out ahead 11-5 on the road. From there, the combination of Max Fiedler and Mekhi Mason took over, stretching a close game to yet another double-digit advantage for Rice.

A 13-point halftime lead did not last long. Temple opened the second half on a 7-0 run and, as if that wasn’t daunting enough, Travis Evee picked up his fourth foul shortly after that run. Not only was Rice going to have to find a way to hold onto the lead, they were going to have to do so without their top scorer on the floor for much of the second half.

Evee went to the bench. Rice lost the lead. Temple slowly added to their advantage, going up by six points before Evee was reinserted into the game. Playing with no foul margin, Evee scored eight straight points, spurring a Rice rally that was desperately needed.

With the game back in reach, a stressful series of closing possessions soon followed. Missed free throws from both sides and errant passes culminated in two clutch free throws from Mason, who finished with a team-high 20 points, powering Rice to a lead in the final seconds. A three-ball from Temple at the buzzer would clank off the rim, giving Rice basketball its first-ever AAC win.

The win was Pera’s 350th career win.

“This has been a tough stretch, one of the toughest of my career of 33 years,” head coach Scott Pera said after the game. “They’ve just hung with it. They’ve practiced good. We’ve been playing better. We just gotta win. We found a way today. I’m just so proud of them.”

Final Box | Rice 69 – Temple 66

Key takeaway | A win is a win is a win

Despite a slow start in conference play, getting a lead hasn’t been too difficult for Rice basketball over the last several weeks. This has been a good first half team, building sizable advantages early in games but not having the ability to sustain that level of play over 40 minutes. Whether it’s endurance, focus or misfortune of one kind or another, leads have too frequently disappeared as quickly as they have come.

So when Rice took a 16-point lead in the waning minutes of the first half, confidences were mixed. After all, the Owls had done this before but they hadn’t finished yet. On Saturday on the road, Rice finally got it done.

The victory in itself will not awe anyone on the outside. Temple entered the game 8-10 (1-4 AAC). It won’t go down in any record books or be spoken about as a resume builder for a program looking to turn the corner and get going back in the right direction. However, it should serve as proof of concept for what this team is capable of when they can play well and execute offensively.

Getting out of an 0-4 AAC start can’t happen overnight. It’s one game at a time. This was one baby step, sorely needed after an arduous beginning.

Up Next: vs Florida Atlantic (Wednesday, Jan. 24)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

20-point lead fizzles as Rice Basketball falls to Charlotte in OT

By

A 20-point first half lead would not be enough for Rice basketball, which fell to 0-4 in AAC play with an overtime loss to Charlotte.

The fireworks got underway early at Tudor Fieldhouse in a game that felt very much like a must-win contest for Rice basketball against the visiting Charlotte 49ers. After allowing a layup that put Charlotte in front, Rice exploded on a 24-2 run over the next eight minutes, fueled by a flurry of three-pointers by four different Owls.

Rather than play catch up, as this team has had to do in recent games, an early 20-point advantage would force the Owls to hang on. It probably should come as no surprise at this point that the task proved easier said than done. Even that lopsided lead was short-lived. Charlotte rattled off 13 straight points to make it a seven-point game and the game was back on.

Rice led by eight points at halftime and watched their edge slowly dwindle until Charlotte took the lead once more with 11:07 left in the second half. From there, the tug of war resumed. Neither side led by more than three points for the remainder of regulation. Rice had its chances via several missed Charlotte free throws but could not get the decisive shot to fall.

Altogether, there were seven ties as the drama continued to rise and overtime arrived. The Owls scored first in the extra period, but a 7-0 Charlotte run proved too much to overcome. Evee’s last ditch effort to miss a free throw and attempt a contested shot at the buzzer was met with silence from the officials as Rice dropped their fourth straight AAC game.

Final Box | Charlotte 81 – Rice 79 (OT)

Key takeaway | Shooting stroke

An inability to shoot the three has gotten Rice basketball into plenty of trouble this season. The Owls came into this game shooting just 31 percent from distance, a far cry from the standard head coach Scott Pera has established for the program under his watch. On Tuesday, though, Rice looked more comfortable on offense than they had in quite some time.

Rice made 10 threes for just the fourth time this season. For reference, that’s a feat Rice achieved in their fifth game last year. This was game 17.

Defense was hit or miss. The officiating did the Owls no favors. The team itself missed way too many opportunities down the stretch. Better three point shooting isn’t going to turn this into a great basketball team overnight, but this team isn’t going to be competitive without the three ball. After shooting .500 against USF and 45.5 percent against Charlotte, Rice finally has something that’s working.

Unfortunately for Pera and this team, they’re running out of time. As the Owls miss chance after chance their deficit grows. Rice is seven games below .500 and 0-4 in conference play. It’s going to take more than a couple of threes to turn this ship around.

Up Next: at Temple (Saturday, Jan. 20)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball falters down the stretch, falls to USF

By

Rice basketball led for more than 35 minutes, but couldn’t hold on, falling on the road to South Florida in another heartbreaking loss.

A lot was at stake on Friday night during an otherwise ordinary AAC basketball game. Rice basketball, winless in conference play, was desperate to claw out a victory. South Florida, winners of their last eight straight at home, was looking to climb the league standings and improve to 2-1. The Bulls’ home streak continues as Rice heads with another gut-wrenching loss.

How Rice lost stings the most. The Owls jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the contest, but USF battled back and took the lead midway through the first half, temporarily forcing a reset of sorts in the pace of the game. A 12-0 run from Rice, capped off by a pair of threes from Mekhi Mason ensured the home team would be in catch-up more for much of the night.

Max Fiedler entered halftime with a double-double, changing the entire complexion of how USF could attack the game. His efforts helped the Owls take a nine-point lead into halftime, but nobody was able to pick up the baton in the second half.

A double-digit Rice lead at the 12-minute mark slowly began to dwindle. Despite leading for the vast majority of the game, Rice found themselves deadlocked in a 68-68 ballgame with 2:24 to go. Rice went more than six minutes straight without a field goal down the stretch. USF took the lead and that was that. Despite leading for more than 35 minutes of regulation, the Owls will leave Florida without the win.

Final Box | USF 81 – Rice 73

Key takeaway | Spiraling

After falling to UTSA at “home” last weekend, Rice basketball desperately needed to find a way to get a win on the road Friday night. Instead, the Owls fell to 0-3 in the AAC the most rigorous stretches of conference play begins. The hole feels so much deeper.

Rice had rather encouraging performances from Feidler, Evee, Mason and Alem Huseinovic in this game. They nearly conjured some good old-fashioned hope. Instead, the feelings of the sky falling persist and another tough test awaits next time out against Charlotte.

For the first time in weeks, Rice was productive from three and set the tone with their offense. The defense held tough in some key moments and the got Fiedler, their veteran leader in the middle, back on track. They needed a jolt. They got it. They just couldn’t finish. A familiar, painful feeling in a season full of missed opportunities.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Tuesday, Jan. 16)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball falls to UTSA in overtime

By

Rice basketball was unable to hold onto a second half lead, falling in overtime to UTSA in their AAC “home” opener.

Away from home for the first time as “hosts” in an American Conference game, Rice basketball was out of sorts from the start against UTSA. The visiting Roadrunners showed no signs of confusion when it came to finding their shot at Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first 10 minutes of the opening half.

When the Owls needed a spark, Travis Evee took charge. He scored three straight layups to get Rice within four. Soon after his first three of the day got Rice within one score. Noah Shelby took the baton from there, knocking down a three-pointer to give Rice its first lead since the 16-minute mark to begin the game. Trailing by as many as 11 points, Rice had battled back and entered halftime with a three-point lead.

Rice was able to take that advantage and push it to double-digits early in the second half. For a moment, it looked as if the Owls had escaped disaster, but those hopes dissipated rapidly. UTSA immediately fired back and turned it into a back and forth game, which eventually found itself in overtime.

UTSA would go on to outscore Rice 12-5 in overtime, handing the Owls a crushing loss and pushing the Owls to the bottom of the AAC standings.

“We didn’t have the end of the game like we needed to handle it,” head coach Scott Pera said. “They made us pay. They got the shot. Those are hard lessons to learn.”

Final Box | UTSA 89 – Rice 82 (OT)

Key takeaway | Red Alert

UTSA entered this contest dead last in the American in KenPom, No. 290 in the country. How bad have the Roadrunners been this season? For comparison, they’re more than 60 spots behind the next closest AAC team in those rankings. Unfortunately, that next team is Rice. The Owls entered Saturday at No. 224 and they’re going to drop further after this.

If the result wasn’t scary enough, the company Rice has kept this season should raise concern. If Rice basketball can’t put away UTSA, why should they expect to be competitive in a conference that expects to send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament?

The Owls need to circle the wagons and find some answers. The offense, which was meant to be the strength of this team, has yet to click this season. The defense has had spurts of success but isn’t nearly consistent enough to make up for the Owls’ shooting struggles. With conference play looming, Rice is running out of time to make those adjustments. Until proven otherwise, it appears Rice basketball has a long season ahead of them.

Up Next: at USF (Friday, Jan. 12)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts