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Rice Basketball fades down the stretch, falls to UTSA

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Rice Basketball had their chances to come back against UTSA but the Owls weren’t able to hold onto the ball and fell on the road in their season finale.

The three point shot has been the bread and butter of Rice basketball for as long as Scott Pera has been the Owls’ head coach. It’s only fitting then that Rice wrapped up its regular season with a particularly effective outing from long range.

UTSA came out firing on cylinders, scoring 18 points in the first six minutes of play. Trailing 18-6, Rice was in dire straights early but then Riley Abercrombie and Carl Pierre drained back-to-back triples and cut the deficit in half. All of a sudden the score was 18-12 and Rice was very much back in the mix.

Last Time Out: Rice Basketball record-setting night not enough vs UTEP

That’s how much of the game would progress. UTSA would stretch out its lead to within the vicinity of double digits only for Rice to get a chunk or two back with their trademark three ball. Although the Owls trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half on multiple occasions, Rice took a six-point deficit into the break.

Things would stay close through the early portions of the second half. Rice would cut the UTSA lead down to one, but it was UTSA who would begin to heat up from distance and pull away. Rice would get within five points with just under three minutes to play before UTSA would put things out of reach with an 8-2 run to put it away.

Player Spotlight | Carl Pierre

In his final regular season game with Rice basketball, Pierre put together yet another pristine performance. He was 3-of-6 from three and scored 16 points. He also contributed three rebounds, one assist and one steal. The timing of his baskets was crucial, frequently giving the Owls hope. Rice could have used a few more down the stretch, but things wouldn’t have been nearly as close without Pierre on the court.

Stat Corner | Too many turnovers

When Rice basketball plays disciplined, they’ve proven their ability to stand toe-to-toe with even the best teams in Conference USA. That wasn’t the case on Saturday. The Owls turned the ball over 20 times, providing their opponents with an excess of opportunities. USTA made them pay.

Final Box | UTSA 82 – Rice 71

Up Next | Full Schedule

The regular season has come to a close for Rice basketball. Win or lose on Saturday, they had already secured a first-round bye and were locked into the fifth seed in the West. They’ll meet the fourth seed in the East. That game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9.

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Rice Basketball runs out of threes in narrow road loss at UTEP

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Rice Basketball ran out of three-pointers in the final moments, falling to UTEP on the road despite a sizable second-half lead.

Max Fiedler and Chris Mullins got Rice basketball off to as good of a start as could have been asked for in their Thursday night road tilt with the UTEP Miners. The senior duo put up the first five points of the game, staking the visiting Owls to an early 5-0 lead. It wouldn’t last.

No sooner had the Owls exhaled from the quick run than UTEP had the lead, and then some. The Miners reeled off a 13-0 run of their own, quickly turning what had been an auspicious start for Rice into a full-scale battle. UTEP’s lead would grow to as many as 12 points before Rice started to chip away in earnest. Mullins laid one in to start a run, which would balloon to a 13-2 Rice streak resulting in a halftime tie.

Last Time Out: Rice Basketball rallies past Southern Miss on Senior Day

Rice leveled the game with a smattering of offensive sets and firm defense. In the second half, their spark came from deep. Carl Pierre seemingly couldn’t miss from long range, pulling Rice along with him as he rained down three after three. He helped the Owls open up an 11-point lead which might have been safe had it not been for a furious assault in the paint from the Miners.

UTEP would pull things back to even, setting up a thrilling final few minutes. Pierre would put Rice in front with a pair of free throws with 58 seconds to play. UTEP crept back in front with three free throw makes in their next two possessions, sending the ball back to Rice for what could have been the game-tying shot, but it would not fall.

Mullins and Pierre each had a chance at the equalizing three, as would Fiedler from half court, but none of them could put it in. On a night of so many threes, Rice fell one three short.

Player Spotlight | Carl Pierre

On paper, the addition of Pierre from the Transfer Portal seemed like a nice win for the Owls. At a minimum, the veteran three-point shooter would give Rice another weapon on the outside. The best-case scenario? Rice basketball might be living it right now.

Pierre set the program record for three-pointers in a season with his outburst against UTEP. He and Travis Evee collectively became the Rice duo with the most total triples between them in a single campaign. Rice was already an offensive centered around good three-point shooting when Pierre arrived. He’s taken it to another level.

Stat Corner | Three-falling

On his way to his record-setting performance, Pierre knocked down six threes. It was the fourth time this season he’s made that many triples in a game. He’s made at least one three-pointer in all but two games this season. His shooting stroke has been crucial to the Owls’ offensive rhythm.

Final Box | UTEP 70 – Rice 67

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball has one final road tilt in the regular season. They finish the regular season on Saturday, Mar. 5 at 2:00 p.m. in San Antonio against UTSA. From there, it’s onto the Conference USA Tournament, the opening rounds of which tip-off on Mar. 8.

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Rice Basketball edges Southern Miss on Senior Day

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It took overtime to get it done, but Rice Basketball sent off its seniors on a high note, topping Southern Miss on Senior Day at Tudor Fieldhouse.

It had been a back-and-forth game from the start with no obvious moments of separation. Rice basketball traded runs with Southern Miss but both teams stayed neck and neck through regulation and beyond. It was always close. Right up until the moment Chris Mullins let a three-point shot fly with just under 90 seconds remaining in overtime.

The three-point shot would dive through the hoop and give Rice a 5-point advantage with time ticking off the clock quickly. From that point, forward Rice made their foul shots and played out the string, but it was Mullins’ triple that afforded the pivotal moment.

Last Time Out: Rice Basketball furious rally not enough vs LA Tech

“Fitting. Appropriate. Whatever word you want to use. A four-year warrior. He’ll never forget that shot as long as he lives. I probably won’t either,” head coach Scott Pera said of Mullins’ dagger three, reflecting on a Senior Fight victory. Ten of the Owls’ 13 points in overtime were scored by seniors, snapping a season-long losing streak and rejuvenating the entire roster.

“We needed a win,” Pera admitted.

That win didn’t come easily. Before Rice got to overtime they overcome an eight-point first-half deficit. Every time they came close, Southern Miss found a way to push their advantage up another few points. It wasn’t until a set of three three-pointers by Travis Evee at the midpoint of the second half that Rice would take their first lead in what felt like forever.

Southern Miss would answer. Then Rice volleyed back. The battle was fierce. Rice had the chance to end it in regulation but couldn’t get one more three-ball to fall as the clock expired. That would eventually set up Mullins’ deep bomb, a memorable way for the seniors’ last home game to end.

Player Spotlight | Chris Mullins

A four-year starter, Mullins is the most tenured player on the roster. He was shut out in his last game against Louisiana Tech, going 0-for-4 from the field with no rebounds. On Saturday against Southern Miss he scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and played 40 minutes, the second-most court time he’s gotten in a game all season, behind only a 3OT outing against Evansville in November.

“I can still remember my first game here,” Mullins said as he attempted to take in the emotions of the final home game of his career. “It’s just come full circle. I started off with a win and I ended with a win here. I’m going to have so many memories here. It’s a great feeling.”

Stat Corner | Get to the line

Rice basketball shot 29 free throws. Southern Miss shot eight. One of the major differences in this game was how often Rice was able to get to the charity stripe. Even though they only converted 20 of those chances, good for a modest 69 percent, they still vastly outdid their opponents at the line and made one of their opposing players foul out.

Final Box | Rice 77 – Southern Miss 72

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball will finish out their regular season schedule on the road. Next up is UTEP, who they’ll visit on Mar. 3 for an 8:00 p.m. tilt. Then Rice will finish in San Antonio against UTSA on Mar. 5. at 2:00 p.m. After that, it’s onto the conference tournament which tips off on Mar. 8.

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Rice Basketball rally falls one shot short against LA Tech

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Rice Basketball did all the right things to engineer a comeback, but the Owls couldn’t muster enough juice to upend Louisiana Tech.

“I guess the head coach of the losing team doesn’t usually say this, but man, that was a heck of a college basketball game,” Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera said following the finale. He lamented the result, but praised the effort of both teams. “We didn’t lose that game. They won it. And there’s a difference.”

It took Rice basketball some time to get going against Louisiana Tech. Carl Pierre delivered an opening three, but over the span of the next eight minutes Rice would manage just one field goal, a layup from Travis Evee. Despite those initial struggles from the field, the Owls were able to hang tough with the Bulldogs.

Louisiana Tech would stretch their lead to seven points. Rice answered with a series of threes, one each from Evee and Pierre. Again, the visitors would surge. That seven points represented the Owls’ halftime deficit which would grow to a game-high 10 point advantage for Louisiana Tech on the opening possession. Rice was officially in catch up mode.

Last Time Out: Rice Basketball late rally falls short vs FIU

From that point on, Rice basketball seemed to find its rhythm. Rice shot 59.4 percent from the field in the second half, knocking down 13-of-18 shots from inside the arc plus six threes. Challenged to find success inside, Max Fiedler and Myljyael Poteat were critical pieces in the Rice rally.

The double-digit lead for Louisiana Tech slowly dwindled. By the time the clock reached the one-minute mark it was a seven-point game and Rice was in foul mode. The Owls hit multiple threes in that stretch and converted a traditional three-point play, but Louisiana Tech made their foul shots and was able to escape with a four-point win.

Player Spotlight | Terrance McBride

As the Rice basketball lineup has continued to churn, Terrance McBride has emerged as a viable answer in the backcourt. He finished with seven points and tied for the team lead with six assists while delivering two of the most crucial layups of the entire game in the final 20 seconds of the second half, cutting to the basket and drawing an extra free throw, which he hit, to make it a one=possession game.

Stat Corner | Six

Pera was quick to point out one stat in the postgame presser in defense of his team’s quality play: turnovers. “I bet no team that they played in 27 games turned the ball over six times,” Pera said. “I would check that one.” So we did.

The Owls’ six giveaways tied the fewest turnovers forced by Louisiana Tech this season. NC State committed just six turnovers in a Nov. 27 game. The Wolfpack won. Rice was one shot away. Interestingly enough, Louisiana Tech forced less than 10 turnovers on just one other occasion this year: Jan. 27, their game against Rice in Ruston, LA.

Final Box | LA Tech 83 – Rice 79

Up Next | Full Schedule

The last home game of the season for Rice basketball is slated for Saturday, Feb. 26 when they take on Southern Miss. After that, the Owls finish up with road games at UTEP on Mar. 3 and UTSA on Mar. 5. prior to the start of the conference tournament on Mar. 8.

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Rice Basketball: Owls’ late rally comes up short at FIU

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Rice Basketball rallied late, but came up just short on the road against FIU, dropping their third straight Conference USA game.

Cameron Sheffield entered the starting lineup and quickly got things started for Rice basketball against FIU on Saturday. His three-pointer opened the scoring, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Owls from falling behind quickly on the road.

A swift 9-0 run put the Panthers in front by six. That advantage would strengthen to 10 points around the midpoint of the first half and reach as many as 17 points before Rice was able to begin to chip away early in the second half.

Last Time Out: Rice Basketball knocked out by UAB on the road

The Owls’ second half surge was sparked by Travis Evee and Carl Pierre, both of which contributed multiple three-pointers to trim the large gap to a 61-61 ballgame with just under eight minutes to play. Trailing by three points in the final minute, Rice turned to fouls but was unable to get the margin closer than two points even with a last-second three from Chris Mullins as the clock expired.

The loss is the Owls’ third consecutive conference loss since they lost guard Quincy Olivari to injury. It ties their longest losing streak of the season, a three-game drought from Nov. 23 to Nov. 30 including losses to Oakland, Fordham and Texas State.

Player Spotlight | Travis Evee

Evee bounced back from a slower-shooting night from three on Thursday, splashing six triples on 14 attempts, including several in the second half to spark the initial Rice rally. He and Carl Pierre (3-for-8 from three) are going to have to be the sparkplugs in this offense and both contributed meaningful buckets to the cause against FIU.

Stat Corner | Out-glassed

Rebounding was a crucial differentiator in this game. Not only did FIU outrebound Rice 42-28, the Panthers had 12 offensive rebounds to the Owls six. That led to more opportunities and more second-chance points. Shedding size in favor of shooting comes with a risk. Rice found themselves on the wrong side of that margin on Saturday.

Final Box | FIU 80 – Rice 78

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball will have a few days to regroup. They host Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Feb. 24 and Southern Miss on Saturday, Feb. 26 in their final homestand before finishing the regular season on the road prior to the start of the conference tournament in March.

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