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Rice Basketball 2020: Owls blow out UAB to stay white-hot

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Rice basketball snapped out of a cold spell with a blazing shooting streak, riding their hot hands to a huge road win over UAB on Thursday.

The last time Rice basketball was on the court they posted a potentially season-altering win over Conference USA leading North Texas that, quite frankly, came out of nowhere. A switch flipped at some point during that win. The Owls duct taped that switch to the floor, maintaining their torrid shooting pace on the road against UAB.

Entering Thursday’s contest, the Blazers were far less consistent than the Mean Green. But it really didn’t matter how well UAB was playing. Rice couldn’t miss.

UAB scored first. Then Rice took over. Rice led by 19 at the break, their largest lead at halftime in any game this season. They stretched that lead to as many as 29 points, squeezing the fight out of a UAB team that had won their last two C-USA games.

Rice shot 52.7 percent from the field and made 13 three-pointers. That’s a step down from their 61.5 percent shooting performance against North Texas, but more than enough to get Rice beyond 80 points for the third straight game.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Drew Peterson

Not only did Peterson lead the Owls in scoring, but he was also the point man who commanded the team on both sides of the court. He was the only player on either team to play more than 31 minutes — he played 39. His six assists marked the second game in a row with at least six assists and he added five rebounds, second-most on the team.

Up Next

Rice basketball will play its final road game of the season prior to pod play on Saturday. They’ll travel to Murfreesboronext to play Middle Tennessee. That game is scheduled to tip off on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs UAB

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Rice Basketball had a great weekend, sweeping North Texas in emphatic fashion. The men and the women return to action on Thursday against UAB.

Rice Basketball

Time: Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Bartow Arena
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

UAB 14-9 (5-5), Last 5 (3-2)

  •  68-65 (W) at FAU
  • 84-77  (L) vs Southern Miss
  • 72-58 (L) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 76-68 (W) at UTSA
  • 69-55 (W) at UTEP

Rice 10-13 (2-8), Last 5 (1-5)

  • 81-68 (L) at Southern Miss
  • 79-59 (L) at North Texas
  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP
  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA
  • 84-75 (W) vs North Texas

UAB statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jalen Benjamin – 12.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Makhtar Gueye – 5.3 per game
  • Assists | Tyreek Scott-Grayson – 1.9 per game
  • Steals | Tavin Lovan – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Tyreek Scott-Grayson – 0.6 per game

Rice keys to victory

In their most recent outing, Rice proved they can beat anyone when they shoot the lights out. Barring another historic performance from the field, Rice will have to get better on the other side of the court. North Texas shot 51 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from three. Most nights, that’ll be good enough to win in Conference USA. Rice has to get that percentage down into the 40s, at least.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN3

UAB 15-7 (7-3), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 92-73 (W) vs FAU
  • 74-68 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 71-51 (W) at Louisiana Tech
  • 94-55 (W) vs UTSA
  • 63-51 (W) vs UTEP

Rice 14-6 (9-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 60-47 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 75-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP
  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-52 (W) at North Texas

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Rachael Childress – 17.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Angela Vendrell – 8.1 per game
  • Assists | Angela Vendrell – 4.7 per game
  • Steals | Angela Vendrell – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Angela Vendrell – 1.0 per game

Rice keys to victory

UAB is going to trust Rachael Childress and Angela Vendrell to run the show. The matchup between those two and the Owls’ tandem of Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey will be pivotal in determining the outcome of this gam . So far, they’ve been up to the task.

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Rice Basketball: Offense explodes to beat C-USA leading North Texas

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Rice basketball pulled out their biggest upset win of the season on Saturday, taking down North Texas behind a historic shooting performance.

Sometimes you can’t miss. That was the story on Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse when the bottom-of-the-standings Rice basketball knocked off North Texas, C-USA’s best squad. The Mean Green had only lost once in conference play prior to the weekend, but as well as they played, they were no match for a red-hot Rice team.

Rice shot 61.5 percent from the field and made 15 three-pointers. The Owls haven’t converted more than 60 percent of their field goals since Nov. 16, 2016 — 1,172 days ago. On that night, they made 63.3 percent of their shots to beat Omaha on the road.

Roughly once every five years a team catches fire at an incredible rate. That came Saturday for Rice.

Josh Parrish and Trey Murphy each had 15 points. Robert Martin and Drew Peterson each had 13 points Ako Adams had 12. Chris Mullins was the only Rice started who failed to crack double-digits. He had eight as the Owls’ sixth-leading scorer.

That performance simultaneously proved two things: First, Rice has the ability to beat every team remaining on their schedule. Second, it takes a near-perfect outing for Rice to achieve a comfortable victory on their home court.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Robert Martin

The senior’s return to the lineup has been a catalyst for the Owls’ improved offensive play. More than just a good shooter, Martin has developed a penchant for making big shots. He had two on Saturday. The first gave Rice the lead with five minutes to play. Two minutes later he turned a four-point lead into a seven-point advantage, all but assuring the Owls of their most meaningful victory of the season.

Up Next

Rice basketball returns to the road for a two-game stretch. They’ll visit UAB in Birmingham on Thursday for a 6:00 p.m. tip. Then play Middle Tennessee on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs North Texas

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Both Rice Basketball teams had Thursday off and are ready to get back onto the court. The men and the women return to action on Saturday against North Texas.

Rice Basketball

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

North Texas 14-8 (8-1), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 72-52 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 51-50 (W) at LA Tech
  • 79-59 (W) vs Rice
  • 98-78 (W) vs UTSA
  • 67-57 (W) vs UTEP

Rice 9-13 (1-8), Last 5 (0-5)

  • 72-56 (L) at LA Tech
  • 81-68 (L) at Southern Miss
  • 79-59 (L) at North Texas
  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP
  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Umoja Gibson – 14.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Thomas Bell – 5.6 per game
  • Assists | Javion Hamlet – 4.7 per game
  • Steals | Umoja Gibson – 1.3 per game
  • Blocks | Deng Geu – 0.9 per game

Rice keys to victory

The Owls got run out of the gym in their previous meeting with the Mean Green, falling by 20 points on the road. The driver for the disparate score was the defensive prowess exhibited by North Texas and the lack thereof from Rice. North Texas shot 54 percent from the field, a notch above their season average of 47.7 percent.

North Texas hasn’t given up gives up the fewest rebounds in the league, but Rice won the battle of the boards last time out. Rice needs to do that again as well as keep the North Texas shooters from putting the game out of reach early.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 3:00 p.m. CT
Venue: The Super Pit
TV: CUSA TV

North Texas 9-11 (3-5), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 84-78 OT (L) at FAU
  • 65-57 (L) vs Southern Miss
  • 74-69 OT (W) vs LA Tech
  • 79-55 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-63 (L) at UTEP

Rice 12-6 (8-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 68-47 (W) at FIU
  • 60-47 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 75-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP
  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Anisha George – 12.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Anisha George – 8.9 per game
  • Assists | N’Yah Boyd – 2.7 per game
  • Steals | Destinee McDowell – 2.6 per game
  • Blocks | Anisha George – 1.5 per game

Rice keys to victory

North Texas has a stingy defense. They’re one of three programs in Conference USA that have held their opponents to less than 60 points a game, on average. Unfortunately for the Mean Green, so are the Owls. In what should be a defensive slugfest, it’s going to come down to who can stay patient enough on offense and take the best shots. That’s an area that overwhelming favors the Owls.

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Rice Basketball: Owls drop another heartbreaker, this time to UTSA

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Rice basketball made plenty of big shots, but missed their last attempt. That lead to a crushing last-second UTSA layup and the Owls’ fifth straight loss.

Trailing 13-5 after barely five minutes of game time had elapsed, Rice basketball was on the verge of another lopsided defeated. Not only did the Owls manage to avoid that pain, they thundered back from the eight-point deficit, outscoring UTSA 14-2 over the next five minutes to take a 19-15 lead. Game on.

The energy and strain Rice exuded in their narrow loss to UTEP on Thursday galvanized this team to keep fighting. They did not execute perfectly, but their will to battle through eight lead changes was noticeably different from where they’d been even a week ago.

It was Rice that jumped out to the double-digit lead in this one. Josh Parrish pushed the lead to 10 midway through the first half. Trey Murphy made it 11 with a three, one of a season-high 18 three-point baskets the Owls made during the contest. Rice hadn’t made that many threes in a game since November 29, 2013, an overtime loss to Rider.

Like the Rider game, the Owls’ hot hand eventually cooled. With the game tied at 88, Rice had the ball and a chance for the go-ahead bucket. Not only did they miss the shot, UTSA corralled the ball and dashed down the court for a layup of their own. A halfcourt heave fell short, dooming Rice to another strenuous defeat. Midway through C-USA play, Rice sits in last place.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Ako Adams

Ako Adams had 21 points, 18 of which came from six three-pointers. The senior’s final trey pushed his career total to 201, officially the most in school history. His timely shots, three assists and four rebounds continued to will Rice back into the game. Thanks to Adams’ resolve, this was a slugfest that Rice very much could have won.

Up Next

Rice basketball will get a brief respite after playing five games in the last 10 games. They won’t play on Thursday, returning to the court for the next time on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Tudor Fieldhouse against North Texas.

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