Both Rice basketball teams were in action on New Year’s Eve. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.
Rice basketball capped off a 2-0 road trip on Saturday, taking down UTEP in overtime. It was their ninth win in their last 10 games.
Days removed from a big road win at Western Kentucky, Rice basketball found itself in an early hole in El Paso against UTEP. The Miners were up 20-15 just past the halfway mark of the first half. Not only did Rice do enough to narrow the deficit, the Owls’ finally got their shots to fall, going on a 16-0 run over the next six minutes and entering halftime with a 32-25 lead.
Rice was able to hold UTEP at bay for much of the second frame, taking their advantage to as many as 15 points. It wouldn’t last long, though. UTEP responded with a 12-0 run and then, with Rice up by 12 with 3:23 to go, UTEP finished the half on a 14-2 run to force overtime. On a day which Rice missed seven free throws, they made enough down the stretch in OT to secure the win with Quincy Olivari delivering the final pair.
Final Box | Rice 72 – UTEP 67
FINAL | @RiceMBB 72 – UTEP 67 (OT) pic.twitter.com/jOYez6bsms
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) December 31, 2022
Key takeaway | If Rice can win games like this… watch out
Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee are the most dangerous shooters the Owls have. They went 8-of-34 from the field on Saturday… and Rice still won. The Owls have quietly won nine of their last 10 with the only loss in that timeframe coming to a Top 10 Texas team in overtime. Rice has proven they can take the nation’s best to extra minutes and win on the road in conference play, twice in one weekend.
“Our kids had resolved. They dealt with adversity. They made plays when they had to,” head coach Scott Pera said.
Pera has this team playing great basketball as they enter the meat of conference play. Already with 11 wins, they’re five wins shy of matching Pera’s best mark at Rice (16) with 17 games left to play before the Conference USA Tournament.
Up Next: vs Louisiana Tech – Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Rice women’s basketball took charge of a close game late, powering past UTEP to earn their first conference win of the season.
It wasn’t until past the 4-minute mark in the third quarter that the margin between Rice women’s basketball and the UTEP Miners exceeded five points. The close game had reached a six-point UTEP advantage courtesy of a three-pointer, which proceeded a quick Rice rally to tie the game by the time the quarter reached its conclusion.
Then Rice put on the clamps. UTEP made two shots from the floor in the fourth quarter on 22.2 percent shooting. Rice held them scoreless in the final 3:05, meanwhile, Rice scored the final eight points of the game, ending with a nine-point advantage, the largest by either team in the game.
Final Box | Rice 62 – UTEP 53
FINAL | @RiceWBB 62 – UTEP 53
Owls close the game on an 8-0 run to earn their first conference win. pic.twitter.com/fZv9jEAHya
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) December 31, 2022
Key takeaway | Winning on defense
Head coach Lindsay Edmonds was quick to give much of the credit to the Owls’ work on defense. “I thought we hung our hats more on defense and rebounding this game, which is what we’ve been focusing on since we dropped the last one,” she said. Rice did outrebound UTEP eight to six in the pivotal fourth quarter, finishing just shy of even on the game (UTEP had 32 boards to Rice’s 30.)
Rice held UTEP to 34.6 percent shooting for the game, their best defensive showing since holding Texas Southern to 23.3 percent shooting on November 23. The 53 points allowed was the second fewest scored on Rice this year, better than only Texas Southern’s 49 points. It wasn’t a perfect defensive performance, but it was much better than the Owls have had in recent weeks, and most importantly, it was best when it mattered the most.
Up Next: at Louisiana Tech – Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6:00 p.m.
