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Rice Basketball Roundup: WBB edge TAMUCC, MBB crush HBU

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Both Rice basketball teams were in action on Saturday. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball has won back-to-back games, handling a frisky HBU squad across town and earning a decisive victory on Saturday.

Rice basketball caught all green lights on their trip across town, blowing past Houston Baptist in a meeting of intracity foes. Rice shot 55.9 percent from the floor in the first half and squared up 10 three-pointers to take a commanding 51-32 lead into the break. From that point on, the Owls held serve, matching every run by the Huskies and walking away from Sharp Gym with a comfortable victory.

Max Fielder has eight rebounds, seven assists, six blocks and four points. Quincy Olivari lead the team in scoring with 27 points, making 11-of-15 shots from the field and 4-of-7 threes. Rice led for the final 36 minutes of regulation.

What they’re saying

“We had a great start. Our guys were locked in from the beginning. Obviously, Quincy (Olivari) and Carl (Pierre) got hot there in the first half and our guys found them, which is a sign of great teammates. Every time (Houston Baptist) made a run, we had an answer. I’m really proud of the guys. True road wins in college basketball are really hard to get and tonight was a good one.”  – Scott Pera on the team’s performance 

Key takeaway

Head coach Scott Pera might not ever say it, but there are some games you’re supposed to win with some flair. Going across town to play a Houston Baptist squad that entered Saturday ranked 351st out of the 358 D1 teams in KenPom rankings was one of those game. And credit hit team with this, they lived up to those expectations.

The Owls’ largest deficit of this game was 6-3 early in the contest. They quickly erased it and took the lead to double-digits swiftly. Their 88 points was the most points they’ve scored on a D1 team in regulation this season; they had previously topped 100 points against Evansville in triple overtime.

Up Next: vs Incarnate Word – Thursday, Dec. 16 at 11:15 a.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, Rice women’s basketball mounted an incredible rally, roaring back to beat Texas A&M Corpus Christi at home.

Nothing seemed amiss when Rice women’s basketball took the court for a Saturday showdown with Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The two squads traded buckets, entering halftime locked in a one-score game. Then the Islanders broke things open in the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with a 47-43 lead over the home team.

At that point, salvaging a win would have been all the Owls could ask for. But they would get more than that. Rice outscored TAMUCC 26-14 in the fourth quarter, 12 of which came from Haylee Swayzee.

What they’re saying

“At UT-Arlington we fell behind and we battled and cut it close, but we weren’t able to pull it out so here we are learning from that game and already capitalizing, learning, and growing in order to pull it out after we got down in a hole.

“I’m really proud of their effort. I’m proud that they are not a team that hangs their head. They do whatever we ask of them to do and they’re pretty tough and resilient. Our numbers aren’t high but the ones that we got really battle. I liked having four players in double-figure scoring. That really gives us a balanced attack. Some things still to clean up but definitely some things to take away.”” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s performance

Key takeaway

The third quarter has often told the story of how the games have gone this season for Rice women’s basketball. Rice did not win the third quarter on Saturday. In fact, they allowed a 15-0 Islanders’ run and were outscored 17-10 overall in that period. Still, they found a way to battle back.

For an imperfect team, resiliency is crucial. If you can’t overwhelm your opponent with talent or experience, you have to wear them down with a full 40-minute fight. Rice was able to do just that on Saturday. Having Haylee Swayzee come off the bench and score 20 points was huge.

Up Next: at Sam Houston – Thursday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: MBB top JCU, WBB fall to UTA

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Both Rice basketball teams were in action this week. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball snapped a three-game losing streak with a dominant home win over Jarvis Christian on Saturday.

It was 9-0 in favor of Rice basketball before the visiting Jarvis Christian Bulldogs were able to find a bucket. At that point, Rice had only hit one of their 16 three-pointers on the day. The Owls were the favorites entering the contest and led the contest from wire to wire as expected.

The home team led by 22 at half and finished with a 38 point advantage. It was the Owls’ largest margin of victory since they defeated Our Lady of the Lake by 39 points in a 103-64 win last season.

What they’re saying

“I’m really proud of our guys in how they responded after that three-game losing streak. We had great energy in practice this week. It’s a mature, older group of guys that understand what it takes and they really refocused themselves. With us going through finals, I’m really proud of the energy and effort that we had today. It was really good to see Noah (Hutchins) and Jaden (Geron) out there and to see them play well was even better.”  – Scott Pera on the team’s performance 

“I think had his best practice of the year on Thursday and it’s amazing how that translates to good performance on game day.” – Scott Pera on Mylyjael Poteat’s first career double-double

Key takeaway

Rice was able to out-score Jarvis Christian in a game where the Owls held a clear talent advantage. This wasn’t a remarkable defensive showing — there’s work to be done there — but it was a reminder that this is a team that can shoot their way out of slumps and/or poor defensive stretches. Rice shot 51.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from three, both of which are among their better marks of the season.

Up Next: at Houston Baptist – Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

A strong fourth quarter wasn’t enough for Rice women’s basketball, who fell on the road to UT Arlington on Saturday.

Rice women’s basketball went back-and-forth with UT Arlington in the early minutes of their Saturday contest with Maya Bokunewicz contributing nine crucial points off the bench in the first two quarters. It was the third quarter, though, that would prove disastrous.

UT Arlington shot a blistering 68.8 percent from the field in the third quarter, missing just five shots from the field and dominating the paint. Rice would win the fourth quarter 26-18, but by then it proved to be too little, too late.

What they’re saying

“I’m disappointed in the outcome and that we dug ourselves such a hole in the third quarter before we turned it on, but I am proud of our fight. I’m proud that we didn’t quit but I just want to see the fight show up sooner. We have things we can control that we need to clean up and we will.” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s performance

Key takeaway

Young teams are streaky and this version of Rice women’s basketball is no exception. Ashlee Austin was effective inside, and Malia Fisher recorded another double-double, but it wasn’t enough. The short bench is going to make everyone carry a larger load this season and they’ll learn from the experience. It’s just won’t always be pretty.

Up Next: vs TAMU CC. – Saturday, Dec. 11 at 2:00 p.m.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: MBB over Southern, WBB over TSU

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Both Rice basketball teams were in action this week. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball returned home after a tough loss to Houston and defended home court, leading wire to wire in a victory over Southern on Tuesday.

In a game of runs, Rice basketball struck first and was able to finish late to stay perfect on their home court. Rice opened up a 20-6 lead in the first half only to see Southern claw away to make it an eight-point differential at halftime. The Owls outscored Southern 24-10 early in the second half, taking a 55-31 before Southern once again chipped away.

The Rice lead dwindled to as little as five, but Terrance McBride delivered four free throws, two each to bookend three-pointers from Travis Evee and Carl Pierre, as Rice ran away late, winning by a final score of 81-63.

What they’re saying

“All the coaches really harped on it all week how this was a game guys gotta be aggressive, try to take advantage of mismatches and go to work. I tried to come out and be aggressive and look to get some easy buckets down low.” – Max Fiedler on his mindset entering the game

“We ended the first half 0-for-10, so that was the first drought. And then drought is when they made their run….Flustered us for a second. We gained our composure. We got layups, got some stops and wore them down eventually. I’m really proud of our guys’ mature response to that.” – Scott Pera on Southern’s second half run

Key takeaway

Rice basketball was without Quincy Olivar in this game, still recovering from a wrist injury. Even without their leading three-point man, the reinsertion of Chris Mullins into the starting lineup proved equally important. Rice weathered their opponents’ best punches and was able to rely on several different players to respond. The win moves the Owls to 2-1 on the season.

Up Next: at New Orleans – Friday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Rice women’s basketball held serve against intra-city foe Texas Southern, flashing their defense on their way to a 2-1 start.

Malia Fisher (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Catelyn Crosthwait (17 points) led the way for Rice women’s basketball, who bounced back from a tough loss to Louisiana with a comfortable win over Texas Southern. Rice used a strong first quarter, edging TSU 15-9, and another big push out of halftime to set up a double-digit lead for the final 10 minutes.

What they’re saying

“It has definitely been an adjustment, I will say. Being so far from home, it’s nice having so many people here that care about you and that just surround you with family. Just being able to play on the court with a new team and new coaches, it’s a lot of fun.” – Malia Fisher on her early impressions of Rice

“It was good to get back out there. Obviously, Saturday left a bad taste in my mouth. I haven’t slept very much since so it was good to get back out on the court and compete and get a win under our belt.

It was a sloppy one, which I knew that this team, the way they played, it would make it be a sloppy game. But I was a little disappointed in our energy level. I’m not really sure.. I feel like we kind of just started out pretty slow, had a really great third quarter, which was fun to watch and then kind of fell back off again. So, young team, inexperienced team. We gott figure out a way to put together 40 minutes, for sure.” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s continued growth

Key takeaway

Earlier this week Rice women’s basketball led Louisiana 53-41 after three quarters before the Ragin’ Cajuns caught fire, finishing 8-for-8 down the stretch to knock off the Owls at home. Rice held a similar lead against Texas Southern, but this team held on finished things out with a strong fourth quarter. For a young team learning the ropes, the juxtaposition of these games and the growth exhibited are huge.

Up Next: vs Oklahoma St. – Saturday, Nov. 20 at 2:00 p.m.

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Rice Basketball: Owls shut down by stifling Houston defense

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After an impressive opening win, Rice basketball fell back to earth as Hoston cooled the Owls’ offense and handed Rice its first loss of the season.

If there was any remaining early-season rust, the Houston Cougars didn’t show it in their meeting with Rice basketball on Friday night at the Fertitta Center. The Coogs’ defense was suffocating early, holding a typically explosive Rice offense to just five points through the first 12 minutes of play. Rice was without Chris Mullins and Quincy Olivari was limited. But no matter who was on the court, the shots just weren’t falling.

Carl Pierre opened the scoring with a dunk. 2-0 Rice. From that point onward, Rice would make one of its next 14 shots. It wasn’t just an off night for the Owls’ offense, they couldn’t find open looks anywhere. In the seconds leading up to a triple from Jake Lieppert with 6:58 to play before halftime, the Houston lead had ballooned to 17 points.

“The knockout was early,” Pera said, point-blank.

Worn down from too many fruitless trips up the court, the Rice defense which held tough early, started to slip. By the time the halftime buzzer blared across the sea of red-clad fans, Rice trailed 44-15. That was all she wrote.

“They pretty much did they wanted all night,” Pera said. “We didn’t have much resistance and we didn’t have much attack on offense to get what we wanted.”

Entering this contest, the lowest scoring output for a Pera-coached Rice basketball team was 41 points in a losing effort against FAU on Feb. 16, 2019. Just how anomalous is that? Rice has failed to reach 50 points just three times under Pera, once each in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons. Conversely, the Owls had topped 90 points 10 times over that stretch.

More: Rice Basketball Season Preview

Every team has its off nights, but this rough outing was magnified by a superb outing against one of the nation’s top teams. If the Pepperdine win was a solid launching point, this was the crash landing not long after. The reality of how good this team can and will be is most likely somewhere in between.

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson offered a similar sentiment as he closed out his own postgame remarks. “That team could make the tournament,” he said of the Hofstra team that took Houston to overtime three nights prior, “I don’t know if they will or not, but they’re good.” Then came the twist. “Rice is probably a little better than Hofstra, but we were better tonight.”

Where does Rice fit in the mix between Houston and Hofstra? That’s what we’re going to find out over the course of the next several weeks and months. On Friday, the reality was this: whether expected or not, Rice wasn’t very close to a team coming off a trip to the Final Four.

Player Spotlight | Max Fielder

The box score might not fully reflect it, but Max Fiedler acquitted himself well for much of the game against Houston. He disrupted shooting lanes on the defensive side of the court, forcing Houston into difficult angles or bypassing the lane altogether in favor of an outside shot. On a night where Rice wasn’t securing anything that bounced off either rim, Fiedler was strong off the glass. In 22 minutes, he finished second among all players with seven rebounds.

Final Box | Houston 79 – Rice 46

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball returns home on Tuesday, November 16 to host Southern. That will be the Owls’ last home game for two weeks. They visit New Orleans on Friday, November 19 before heading to Florida to play in the Gulf Coast Showcase the following week.

Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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Rice Basketball: Stout defense propels Owls past Pepperdine

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A stout defensive performance propelled Rice basketball over Pepperdine in decisive fashion to lift the Owls’ to 1-0 on their young season.

There wasn’t much about the early goings of the Rice basketball season opener against Pepperdine that seemed unusual. The Owls hit the first shot of the game, a triple from Carl Pierre, then knocked down two more threes in what appeared to be the beginnings of a back-and-forth game the likes of which had been played at Tudor Fieldhouse time and time again

In those games, Rice would shoot the lights out and try as hard as they could to muster enough stops on defense to hang on. Things seemed to be trending towards those same ‘ol Owls on Tuesday night, right up until the halftime buzzer. Then something shifted.

More: Rice Basketball Season Preview

With Chris Mullins — who head coach Scott Pera point-blank referred to as the team’s best defensive player — sidelined with a finger injury suffered early in the game, the Rice defense clamped down. The Owls allowed seven points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, rattling off a 28-7 run which turned a close game into a rout. They didn’t ease up much at all the rest of the way, limiting Pepperdine to a pedestrian 35.4 percent shooting from the field.

“We defended. We defended for 40 minutes and that was the difference,” Pera said emphatically after the game.

That refrain matches the chorus sung by Pera and his players last week during preseason media availability. Back at that time this team made it crystal clear they’d’ been exerting the majority of their efforts on getting better on that side of the court. Against Pepperdine, that attention to detail showed.

Again, Pera echoed “[Defense is] certainly the emphasis. Things become important when it’s on the front of your mind, and it’s on the front of our guys’ minds, it’s been since June.” And now, Rice has taken those ideas and made them a reality.

Rice shot 35.5 percent from three against Pepperdine. Preseason All-Conference honoree Quincy Olivari did not make any of his three attempts, battling through a wrist injury. It was a fine night from distance, but not one that this “Green Light U” squad is going to write home about. This is a team that can and has shot 40 percent, even 45 or 50 percent from three.

But even on a mediocre shooting night from three, this iteration of Rice basketball won by 19 points. When asked what this team might be capable of on a good shooting night from distance, Pera couldn’t suppress a grin, before letting out this subtle promise: “When we’re healthy and we’re really cooking, we will put on a show some nights.”

Player Spotlight | Noah Hutchins

Travis Evee led all Rice scorers with 24 points and six made three-pointers, but it was a surprise 13 minutes from Noah Hutchins that proved to be particularly intriguing. Hutchins only returned to practice this past week after recovering from an injury of his own, but he was thrust into meaningful minutes when Mullins went down.

Hutchins ended with a +4 plus/minus, largely because he happened to not be on the court during much of the Owls’ decisive second-half run, but he did settle things down when he entered, helping lead the charge on some key sequences. With Mullins’ status for the Houston game unknown, Rice could lead on Hutchins more in the near future. He acquitted himself well in his debut.

Final Box | Rice 82 – Pepperdine 63

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball will hit the road for a short trip across town on Friday when they’ll visit the University of Houston to take on the Top 15 Cougars at the Fertitta Center, where they narrowly escaped an upset at the hands of Hofstra on Tuesday. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. It will be available for streaming on ESPN+. After that, Rice returns home on Tuesday, November 16 to host Southern.

Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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