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Rice Athletics: All Friday events postponed, multiple games impacted

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Rice Athletics will not host any events on Friday. Winter Storm Uri has altered schedules for multiple sports. Here is the latest.

The effects of winter storm Uri continue to impact Houston, stretching beyond the personal impacts and into the upcoming Rice Athletics schedule. Rice baseball’s opening weekend round robin including games against Washington, Arkansas-Little Rock and Houston Baptist has seen multiple games called off because of the conditions.

Both Washington or Little Rock announced they would not be able to travel to Houston because of the inclement weather. The Huskies have already added a three game series with UC-Irvine, who Rice played last year. Little Rock is in the process of scheduling additional games this weekend. They won’t be playing in Houston.

For the time being, the Sunday contest between Houston Baptist and Rice is on as scheduled. The two intra-city teams don’t have to worry about coordinating flights, but more conversations will take place before that weekend schedule is finalized.

If both programs are able, it would seem possible for baseball to add additional games with Houston Baptist over the weekend. If and when those games might be played would be dependent on several factors. Per a release from Rice, “an update on the schedule will be provided Friday at 12:00 p.m.”

As for basketball, after originally being bumped back a day, the men’s series against Marshall has been canceled. On top of the weather, the Owls have experienced COVID-19 issues within the program. The women’s series against Marshall is still on for the time being, but the schedules will be adjusted. Originally set for Friday and Saturday, the series has been moved to Saturday and Sunday.

This is a developing situation.

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Rice Basketball: Owls’ cooled off in road sweep by Western Kentucky

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Rice basketball entered the weekend with a two-game winning streak, but Western Kentucky cooled the Owls down quickly with a sweep of their own.

It’s been a hectic few weeks for Rice basketball, which wrapped up a tough weekend on the road on Saturday with a second loss to Western Kentucky. It’s now been more than a month since Rice was able to trot out their five starters on the court at the same time. Dealing with injuries and COVID aren’t a unique challenge faced solely by the Owls, but the churn in the rotation hasn’t done them any favors.

Western Kentucky came out of the blocks red hot on Friday night, quickly pulling out to an 18-8 lead in less than five minutes. Rice stayed composed and battled back, but never got the game back within one score, despite relatively productive shooting nights from Travis Evee, Quincy Olivari and Riley Abercrombie.

The second game felt eerily similar to the first. Rice had their moments and made some big shots. They just always seemed to be a possession or two away from breaking through. A 15 point halftime deficit proved too much to overcome, especially when compounded by sub 40 percent shooting in the second half.

Player Spotlight | Ege Havsa

The turnover on the roster amid injuries and COVID-19 limitations has opened the door for role players to step into more prominent positions. Ege Havsa had his number called this weekend and he responded well. On Friday he played 23 minutes, the most action he’s seen in nearly a month. On Saturday he had career-high seven rebounds and a season-best 12 points.

Turnovers have been Havsa sore spot, but in short spurts, he’s proven to be an effective piece for head coach Scott Pera. Having players like him at the ready when they’re needed in the coming weeks will be huge for the Owls.

Stat Corner | Cooled off

This weekend saw the only two-game conference set in which Rice did not have any individual player score 20 points in a game. Travis Evee (19) Quincy Olivari (18) got close on Friday. No one topped 15 points on Saturday.

Rice basketball has more depth this year than they’ve had in recent memory. Even still, the quantity of shooters still isn’t quite where they’d want it to be. It’s a rare night for someone to do what Havsa did on Saturday and score double-digits off the bench. If the Owls’ starting guards aren’t converting at high enough of a clip, Rice hasn’t shown they can consistently find scoring volume elsewhere.

Up Next

The final scheduled home series of the season looms next weekend for Rice basketball. They’ll return to Tudor Fieldhouse to take on Marshall. The Thundering Herd entered the weekend in the middle of the pack in the East.

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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs Western Kentucky

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The Rice basketball got back in the win column with a sweep over Southern Miss while the women look to return to the court this weekend.

Rice Basketball

Time: Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – ESPN+ / Sunday – CUSAtv

Western Kentucky 13-4 (6-2), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 58-63 (L) at Louisiana Tech
  • 81-73 (W) vs Marshall
  • 69-67 (W) at Marshall
  • 82-67 (W) at Middle Tennessee
  • 68-52 (W) at Middle Tennessee

Western Kentucky statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Charles Bassey – 17.8 per game
  • Rebounds | Charles Bassey – 12.2 per game
  • Assists | Davvion McKnight – 3.2 per game
  • Steals | Josh Anderson – 1.9 per game
  • Blocks | Charles Bassey – 3.4 per game

Rice 12-8 (6-6), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 74-86 (L) at UAB
  • 74-69 (L) vs North Texas
  • 53-79 (L) at North Texas
  • 88-62 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 76-68 (W) vs Southern Miss

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 15.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.2 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.2 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.9 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice basketball needs a repeat showing of their most recent pair of outings. Rice shot incredibly well against Southern Miss, made careful, astute halftime adjustments and battled down the stretch to hold the lead. Rice showed they do have that extra gear needed to win close games. Taking that on the road is the next task.

Rice is 5-2 in league play at Tudor Fieldhouse, but four of their final six games are on the road where they are just 1-4 to date. This team has the pieces. They just need to find that level of consistency away from Houston.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 12 at 2:00 p.m. CT and Feb. 13 at 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Feb. 12 – ESPN+ / Feb. 13 – ESPN+

Western Kentucky 6-10 (5-5), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 60-77 (L) vs Middle Tennessee
  • 100-99 3OT (W) vs Charlotte
  • 65-54 (W) vs Charlotte
  • 71-64 (W) vs Florida Atlantic
  • 70-75 (L) vs Florida Atlantic

Western Kentucky statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Raneem Elgedawy – 21.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Raneem Elgedawy – 11.4 per game
  • Assists | Hope Sivori – 3.8 per game
  • Steals | Meral Abdelgawad – 2.4 per game
  • Blocks | Raneem Elgedawy – 1.8 per game

Rice 10-1 (6-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 69-57 (W) at UTSA
  • 74-68 (W) vs UTEP
  • 55-43 (W) vs UTEP
  • 77-66 (W) at Old Dominion
  • 67-59 (W) at Old Dominion

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Nancy Mulkey – 16.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Nancy Mulkey – 7.8 per game
  • Assists | Jasmine Smith – 3.7 per game
  • Steals | Jasmine Smith – 1.5 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.1 per game

Whats’s at stake

The Owls haven’t played a conference game in three weeks. During that time other programs have experienced postponements as well, but the run of open weekends for Rice is approaching a critical juncture.

Rice has played six conference games. No other team in Conference USA has played fewer than eight. The vast majority have played 10 games or more. The average, including the Owls’ low-mark, is 9.71 games played per team. If that difference held, Rice would retain claim to the No. 1 Seed in the West and clinch a bye in the Conference USA Tournament.

Healthy and safety is, and should continue to be, the No. 1 priority for Rice athletes. If anything, the extended delay emphasizes the lengths to which the program will go to ensure its players’ health remains the focal point.

But if Rice were to miss another weekend, they could be playing catch up. Much in the same way the football regulations in the fall required a team to play no fewer than two games below the average games played by the conference, a similar ruling will apply to basketball. A team can’t lose a tournament bid by playing too few games, but it can lose a first round bye.

That makes the Owls’ upcoming series against Western Kentucky all the more important. As of now, that series looks to be on as scheduled. When Rice does get back on the hardwood they’ll have waited 27 days since their most recent competition, against Old Dominion on January 16. Keeping everyone healthy and shaking off the rust as quickly as possible will be imperative.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Guard Terrance McBride commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice basketball recruiting class has added another significant piece. Cornell transfer guard Terrance McBride has committed to the Owls.

One more member of the 2021 Rice basketball recruiting class is officially on board. Terrance McBride, a combo guard from Cornell, will transfer to Rice. McBride did not play last fall or this spring as the Ivy League opted to not participate in basketball competitions this season.

When he was on the court, McBride averaged 12.7 points and 3.2 assists per game, second most on the team. He seldom came off the court, averaging 32.9 minutes per game. Having a ball handler to pair with dangerous shooters like Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee could take an already dangerous offense to another level next season.

McBride is a facilitator who will set others up for success. The audio is a bit off on the clip below, but this play showcased some of his decision making and vision on the court.

As things currently stand, Rice only has two seniors on its roster, both graduate transfers in Ege Havsa and Tre Clark. The Owls will still be young next season. When McBride is eligible to play, he’ll presumably join Payton Moore and Chris Mullins as the elder statesmen on the roster. Beyond that pair, the team primarily consists of underclassmen.

Diversifying classes with veterans and younger players was an important takeaway from the Owls’ roster churn in previous years. Rice doesn’t want to become dependent on the Transfer Portal. That said, they’re going to have to adapt to that aspect of recruiting in today’s game. McBride is a positive development on that front.

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Rice Basketball: Owls right ship, sweep Southern Miss

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Rice basketball put together back-to-back strong performances this weekend, propelling the Owls to a home sweep of Southern Miss.

Losers of five straight, Rice basketball needed to get back in their groove this weekend against a Southern Miss team that has hung around the bottom of the conference standings. If the Owls didn’t bounce back, they’d find themselves in the cellar with the Golden Eagles. Fortunately, that worst-case-scenario did not materialize. In fact, the Owls might have had the best possible weekend they could have asked for.

Rice controlled both games from the opening tip, starting with a runaway win on Friday afternoon. Southern Miss would take their largest lead of the game (two points) in the first three minutes, but it was all Owls from that point on. Olivari finished with 29 points and tied Max Fielder with a team-high seven boards. Freshman Mylyjael Poteat had a career-best 12 points on a career-high 17 minutes.

Saturday’s win required a bit more resiliency. Rice opened up a hefty 12-1 lead to start the game as Southern Miss struggled on offense, opening 0-for-7 from the field. The Golden Eagles cut the Owls’ edge to one near the end of the first half, but never took the lead.

Travis Evee finished the first half with a three, the first of a barrage of deep balls that buoyed Rice over the visitors. Rice hit five consecutive threes out of the break, staking themselves to a double-digit lead. Southern Miss would rally, but the Owls’ held the line, made their free throws and secured the win.

This was the second weekend sweep for Rice in conference play. They previously took both games from UTSA on January 1 and January 2, also at home.

Player Spotlight | Cameron Sheffield

The 6-foot-6 guard from Alpharetta, Georgia was one of a large influx of new players added to the roster in the past year.  The freshmen quickly settled into his role as a key reserve off the bench, averaging 10.3 minutes per game in non-conference play.

Sheffield saw a bit more action as the season progressed. It was only recently, though, that he became a regular in the rotation. He’s stepped up to fill minutes vacated by guard Chris Mullins who has been sidelined for the better part of two weeks.

He made his first start in Game 2 against UAB and has started four of the Owls’ last five contests. In that time, he’s tripled his playing time and scoring output while taking care of the basketball. Head coach Scott Pera was quick to point out he had zero turnovers in 54 minutes this weekend, speaking highly of the freshman guard, “that kid is going to be a really great player for us.”

Sheffield had a career-high nine points on a career-high three three-pointers on Saturday.

Stat Corner | Two for three

February 05, 2021 : During the game between the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas. Rice falls to UNT 79-74. (Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics). Used with permission.

Rice basketball has an easily discernable identity. They’re going to shoot threes in volume and push you up and down the court. How closely that adhere to that ideal is a strong proxy for how the results of individual games will turn out.

A quick look at the box scores bears that out, and one only needs to look at the Owls’ top two shooters: Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee. Rice is 9-2 when that duo makes six or more three pointers and 3-6 when they don’t. Rice is 7-1 when they combine for 15 or more three point attempts (regardless of how many they make) and 5-7 when they’re held under that shot count.

It might just be that simple. If Olivari and Evee get volume, the Owls are probably going to win.

Up Next

Conference play is starting to wind down. The Owls will hit the road next weekend for what should be a tough test against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have paced the East for the majority of the season. They will enter the weekend atop the East standings at 6-2 after an off weekend. Their scheduled series against Florida Atlantic was postponed.

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