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Comeback comes up short for Rice Basketball against UNT

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Rice Basketball rallied from a double-digit second half deficit to tie the game late against North Texas but came up short in the final minutes.

North Texas jumped out to an early lead at Tudor Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening, this time though, Rice basketball was ready to respond. The Owls overcame the quick early deficit with a pair of threes from Denver Anglin to net the score at seven. Unlike the last time these two met — a North Texas blowout — Rice was poised to trade blows with one of the AAC’s frontrunners.

Despite their rally, Rice found themselves playing from behind, but never by a margin that seemed insurmountable. Incredible effort from Jacob Dar and strong play in the paint from Caden Powell paced the scoring while the defensive effort was a few rebounds away from heroic.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Offense

The North Texas lead would grow to as many as 11 but the Owls’ never let things get out of hand because of that defense. Which responded to that big lead by forcing North Texas to miss 10 of its next 11 shots from the field, opening the door just wide enough for Rice to get back into the game.

Trae Broadnax hit a layup with 1:15 to play, bring the teams level for the first time since the opening moments of the game but that would be the end of the Owls’ points for the evening. The Mean Green closed things out on a 6-0 run, surviving with the win.

Final Box | UNT 67, Rice 61

What They’re Saying

“This was a game that, without question, the engagement and competitive spirit was there throughout the game. If we continue to play the way we’re playing, it’s just about learning how to finish. There is a trajectory there that is pleasing. Now, from there, how do we get better? You can’t take anything for granted, but sometimes, when you’re not getting the outcome, you can still get better, and I do feel that way about this group. I’ve said to these guys that if we were going to break, we would have been broken by now. So, that is off the table. Now, it’s just a matter of finding that breakthrough.” – Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | In progress

It’s been a long time since Rice basketball faced off with North Texas on the hardwood. That game was a Mean Green onslaught, a 22-point victory that was never really close. That defeat kicked off an extended losing streak that stretched to seven consecutive defeats before Rice finally got back in the win column against East Carolina.

That ECU win put Rice basketball beyond the win total from a season ago, but even in the span of losses that surrounded it, this version of the program couldn’t be more different from the one that struggled through the 2023-2024 season.

The average margin of defeat against conference opponents in the regular season a year ago was 12.5 points. Yes, the average loss was by double-digits. The median mark was 11 points, so it’s not as if a few blowouts were skewing that number.

This year the average margin of defeat in AAC losses is 5.4 points, half last year’s total. The median margin is three points. Nobody likes to lose, but it’s unmistakable these losses are representative of a team making progress. The next step is converting that progress into wins.

Up Next: at Tulane (Sat, Feb. 15)

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Rice Basketball comes up short at Charlotte

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Rice Basketball jumped out to a sizable early lead but couldn’t sustain it, faltering late in a damaging road loss to Charlotte.

Fresh off a much-needed conference win over ECU, Rice basketball came out hot in Saturday’s road tilt against Charlotte. Denver Anglin got the Owls started with consecutive threes then Jacob Dar contributed the next seven points as the Owls raced out to an 11-point lead in the span of five minutes of game time.

The Owls’ breakneck scoring pace would push that advantage to as many as 16 points in the first half before Charlotte started to find their rhythm offensively. The 49ers cut their deficit to six points at the half and engineered a 10-0 run early in the second period and the game was on.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Offense

Charlotte would lead by as many as seven in the second half, but never more as both sides swapped smalls spurts of scoring. Every time the 49ers tried to pull away, Rice had an answer, primarily driven by the aggressive ballhandling and scoring ability of guard Trae Broadnax with timely threes from Alem Huseinovic mixed in.

Rice kept the game within two possessions for most of the final few minutes but Charlotte won the battle of free throws late, holding on to win by three and send the Owls’ back to the loss column.

Final Box | Rice 71, ECU 60

Key takeaway | Out-executed

Rice basketball did a lot of things well against Charlotte on Saturday, shooting better than 50 percent from three and outshooting Charlotte from the field. They didn’t turn the ball over very often and largely stayed out of foul trouble. But they lost.

Rice made one three-point shot in the final nine minutes. Charlotte made four.

Rice missed four free throws in the final 21 seconds. Charlotte missed one.

In a single possession game, those small variances make all the difference. Ultimately the Owls’ unraveling at the end of the first quarter essentially eliminated their margin for error. To some degree, that encapsulates the rough last month this team has had. It hasn’t been a slog of completely bad basketball — there’s been a lot of good — but that good hasn’t shown through in those make or break moments.

Charlotte entered Saturday in dead-last in the AAC standings. To only be a game ahead of this team is now a frustrating reality for a Rice basketball squad that will soon have to begin to worry about the possibility of a play-in game in the conference tournament.

Up Next: vs North Texas (Tues, Feb. 11)

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Rice Basketball thunders past ECU

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Rice Basketball snapped their losing streak in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, posting a convincing victory over East Carolina on the road.

Days removed from a heart breaking loss to Memphis at home, their seventh consecutive conference defeat, Rice basketball came out with that same fire still burning. The Owls opened the game on a 7-0 run, waded through an up-and-down next few minutes before closing the half on a 6-0 run to take an eight point advantage.

Another stout defensive effort had limited ECU to just 25 points in the first half and kept their pair of talented scorers, C.J. Walker and RJ Felton, from dictating the game. That tandem did score — accounting for a combined 37 points throughout the night — but Rice clamped down on the remainder of the roster, a reality that was magnified as the game progressed.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

After ECU had drawn within six, Rice rattled off a 23-5 run, combining that suffocating defense with powerful work inside from Cade Powell, who scored a career-high 18 points, and timely three-point shooting from Alem Huseinovic and Emory Lanier. Before the Pirates could catch their collective breath they were trailing by 23 points.

All that was left to do at that point was to play out the string. The torrential outburst of Rice points drowned any real chances of an ECU comeback and notched the Owls a much-needed AAC win.

Final Box | Rice 71, ECU 60

Key takeaway | At Last

A somber attitude would have been perfectly reasonable in the midst of an extended losing streak like Rice basketball has endured over the past month. Yet somehow point guard Trae Broadnax made sure to slip a quiet, but powerful edict into his postgame comments following Sunday’s loss to Memphis.

“The ball is going to swing back in our favor eventually, at the right time,” Broadnax declared, as if willing the positives he’d seen in his team over a series of game to coalesce into one, cohesive performance.

Wednesday’s decisive win over East Carolina wasn’t perfect but it was one of the most comprehensively solid performances this team has authored in weeks. Rice won the rebounding battle, didn’t turn the ball over too much and held their own from the free throw line. They played well. And when this team plays well in multiple phases, it should be good enough to win some games. That finally came to fruition on Wednesday.

“Most teams break during that kind of stretch, instead we’ve gotten better,” head coach Rob Lanier told Rice Owls Voice JP Heath after the game. “We’re getting better in the midst of our struggles. That’s a sign of connection, togetherness, and growing toughness. And it was on display tonight. And we can get better.”

It’s a long climb from 3-7 to where this team wants to be — .500 would be a good starter — but the version of Rice basketball that took the court against ECU is certainly one capable of beating a lot of teams in the AAC. They just need to find a way to replicate that effort again.

The silver lining? Even with this tough stretch, Rice surpassed last season’s win total with their victory over ECU.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Sat, Feb. 8)

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Rice Basketball drops thriller to Memphis

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Time ran out on Rice basketball on Sunday afternoon as the Owls came up short in a hard-fought battle against Memphis inside a packed Tudor Fieldhouse.

Rice basketball knew they’d have their hands full on Sunday afternoon when a ranked Memphis team came to Tudor Fieldhouse, but the efficiency and potency of the Tigers’ opening burst had the Owls straining to hold on from the opening tip. Jacob Dar gave Rice a one-point lead with an opportunistic put-back plus the ensuing and-one play before Memphis thrust their foot onto the accelerator.

Memphis outscored Rice 22-11 over the next seven minutes. The Owls weren’t lose with the ball and they shot it at a respectable clip during that stretch but the Tigers had the edge on the boards and made 4-of-5 from three to open the contest and jump out to a quick double-digit advantage. Then it was the Owls’ turn.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Fueled by tenacious defense and superb movement with the ball, Rice ripped off 11 straight to retake the lead, capped off with a three from Andrew Akuchie that sent the arena into a frenzy. Just like that, the game was on. While Memphis did jump back into the lead, Rice kept pace, heading into halftime within five points of the No. 19 team in the country.

The constant tension would continue into the second half. Rice would pull back within a score only for Memphis to find some breathing room. But even when the result looked to be in hand, Rice kept fighting. Down eight with 40 seconds to play, the Owls went on a 7-0 run to get the game back within one with 11.8 to play. Memphis prevailed with a last second steal, but not before Rice gave them a full 40 minute fight.

Final Box | Memphis 86, Rice 83

Key takeaway | Arrow Up

It’s hard to look favorably at a team that’s lost seven consecutive games, but it would he foolish to discard the effort Rice basketball displayed on Sunday. The last time the Owls played a team anywhere close to this caliber they lost by 22 at North Texas. That team looked disjointed and, at times, lost. The Rice squad that showed up against Memphis looked ready, composed and fierce.

“We’ve had plenty of reasons to have self doubt and all that and the fact that against a good team that was playing well — it’s one thing if a team comes in here and they’re missing all their shots and they’re shooting in the low 30s — they came in and played like a Top 25 team,” head coach Rob Lanier said. “I was hoping we could catch them on a bad day. They don’t seem to be having many of those. It’s a credit to them and their coaching staff that they’re playing at a high level.”

“They played at a high level today and we were right there with them.”

Memphis won on the boards, had more assists and led for more than 38 minutes. All of that, and still this game hung in the balance with seconds to go.

“We kind of displayed what we have in us, which is good. Sometimes when you’re struggling you can forget that you’re good. If girls keep turning you down, you might forget that you’re handsome. It’s important for these guys to believe in themselves, regardless of what’s going on,” Lanier said. “I thought today was a good exhibition of that.”

In many respects, this was one of the better games Rice basketball has played. The losses count and the dearth of negative results over the past month has significantly muted this team’s upside when it comes to regular season results. However, it’s hard to look at this most recent version of Rice basketball and discount them as a worthy opponent against any team remaining on their schedule.

Up Next: at East Carolina (Wed, Feb. 5)

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Early lead fizzles as Rice Basketball falls to USF

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Early lead not enough as Rice Basketball dropped their sixth straight in AAC play, falling to South Florida on the road.

Rice basketball got off to a red-hot start on the road against South Florida, jumping out to an 11-3 lead before the Bulls could settle in. That lead would be short lived — USF rallied to tie the game at 11 shortly thereafter — but the aggressiveness Rice played with led to another big advantage, this time as many as 14 points as the final minutes began to tick away in the first half.

USF would not go away. The home team closed the first half on a 7-0 run and scored 14 of the first 16 points after halftime. All of a sudden it was Rice forced to play from behind. Trae Broadnax rose to the occasion, scoring six of the Owls’ next nine, willing the game into a slugfest, at least for a while.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Rice would get back within a point, but South Florida did not slow down. That small edge gradually grew as the game wore on with the Bulls banking multiple buckets in a row before Rice got a shot to fall. By the time the teams hit the final media timeout, USF led by double-digits and the Owls’ early lead felt like it had been so long ago.

A furious push in the final minutes allowed Rice to get the game back within three, but the rally would prove to be too little, too late as South Florida held on to win. Rice falls to 11-10 with the loss and 2-6 in conference play.

Final Box | USF 69, Rice 64

Key takeaway | Defensive dip

Rice basketball has now lost six AAC games in a row after a 2-0 start in league play. So many of these games have been decided on the margins, but if there is one throughline amongst them all it’s been an dip in defensive performance.

It’s not as if Rice has been a poor defensive team — entering Wednesday the Owls ranked second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage allowed — but the difference in their losing skid has been pronounced.

In their first 15 games, including AAC wins over Tulsa and Charlotte, Rice allowed opponents to shoot 38.5 percent from the floor. In their last six that rate has jumped up to 45.8 percent including a 40 percent shooting performance from USF.

This has still been a formidable defensive unit on most possessions, but ebbs and flows with the offense, turnovers and smaller losses on the margins have put this team into too many tough places. An 0-6 run is the result.

Up Next: vs Memphis (Sun, Feb. 2)

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