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MBB: Strong finish pushes Owls past Middle Tennessee

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Rice basketball avenged a pair of close losses with a big home win, closing strong in the second half to take down Middle Tennessee at Tudor Fieldhouse.

“Tonight they wanted to prove that what happened before was a fluke.” A little bit of angst, tinged with relief, could be heard through head coach Scott Pera following his team’s 79-68 win over Middle Tennessee on Thursday night at Tudor Fieldhouse. This marked the third consecutive game in which Rice had held a double-digit lead in the second half, but this performance was different. Unlike in the final moments against UTEP and North Texas, they finished.

Rice trailed Middle Tennessee (now 5-15) by four points at halftime. The Owls had been out-rebounded 24-17. They’d shot a meager 27.3 percent from three and converted on five of nine free throws. It was a slow start against won of the least successful teams in Conference USA. They needed to kick it into gear, and they did.

Both teams traded blows in the second half. Rice went on a 9-0 run. A few minutes later Middle Tennessee responded with an 8-0 run. Then, in the minutes following the under-8:00 minute media timeout, Rice scored 13 unanswered points, turning a 1-point deficit into a 15-point advantage.

“We showed some maturity. We showed some growth,” Pera remarked knowingly after the game. His confidence shone clear. This team has plenty to work on, but finally healthy in front of their home crowd, they seem to be putting all the pieces together.

The Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 9 2-4 0-1 5-5 0 4 4 2 1 3 0 1 31 11
PETERSON 2 1-5 0-2 0-0 1 3 4 3 2 0 0 0 17 8
MULLINS 19 6-11 3-4 4-6 2 2 4 2 2 0 1 3 29 8
WILLIAMS 13 4-11 1-4 4-6 1 3 4 2 4 2 0 1 30 8
MILLORA-BROWN 8 4-6 0-0 0-3 2 6 8 0 4 0 3 1 24 6
MOORE 4 2-3 0-1 0-1 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 1 8 0
PARRISH 3 1-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 3
MURPHY III 18 4-8 4-8 6-6 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 23 3
MARTIN 3 1-5 0-2 1-3 3 7 10 2 3 1 0 1 27 8

Player of the Game – Trey Murphy

For the second game in a row, Trey Murphy was the catalyst for this young squad. It was his fourth three-pointer of the night which gave Rice their final lead of the game. The deciding shot was also his 18th point of the game, tying a career high set his last time out against North Texas.

“We knew that we had to play harder and give it 40 minutes, not 34 minutes or 36 minutes, an entire 40 minutes,” Murphy said emphatically following the game. It comes as no surprise then, that Murphy’s three-point shot which started the final push fell with just a little after 33 minutes of the game clock had expired.

Murphy’s shooting stroke is starting to settle in. That bodes well for Rice moving forward.

Up Next – UAB

UAB rallied from a half time deficit to knock out North Texas in Denton on Thursday night. The Blazers move to 13-7 on the season and 5-2 in Conference USA, locking themselves into a four-way tie for second place in the conference. If Rice wants to make a push up the ranks, they’ll need to get past UAB on Saturday.

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MBB: Owls set for get-right game against Middle Tennessee

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Rice basketball returns home reeling from back-to-back one-point road defeats. Can the Owls right their fortunes against Middle Tennessee?

A pair of one-point losses separates Rice from a 4-2 conference record, a mark which would tie them for fourth in the conference standings. Instead, the Owls sit at 2-4 in desperate need for another win to prevent a short stretch of bad luck from snowballing.

Coming off a game against North Texas, CUSA’s most winningest team, Rice returns home to play Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders own the worst winning percentage in the conference (5-14). This is the Owls’ get-right game. It’s not a must-win contest, but the schedule is going to get tough again in February. Rice needs to capitalize on this opportunity.

The game is not scheduled for TV broadcast but will be available on CUSA TV. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

Middle Tennessee 5-14 (2-4), Last 5 (2-3)

  • W, 75-72 vs UTEP
  • W, 89-86 vs UTSA
  • L, 73-56 @ Louisiana Tech
  • L, 77-70 @ Southern Miss
  • L, 63-56 vs FAU

Rice 7-12 (2-4), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • L, 76-75 vs North Texas
  • L, 65-64 @ UTEP
  • L, 95-79 @ UTSA
  • W, 78-66 vs Louisiana Tech
  • W, 73-65 vs Southern Miss

Middle Tennesse players to watch

Middle lives on the shooting hand of junior guard Antonio Green. They are 5-6 when Green scores 20 points and 0-8 when he’s held to 19 points or fewer. His 18.5 points per game are sixth most in Conference USA and he ranks fifth in with a 34.6 percent conversion rate on his three point shots.

Outside of Green the Blue Raiders get thin, fast. Sophomore guard Donovan Sims has scored a combined 36 points with nine rebounds and nine assists on their two-game winning streak. Junior Forward Reggie Scurry tied his season high in points on Saturday in their win over UTEP.

Rice keys to victory

This is a low volume offense that gives up 75.8 points per game. The Blue Raiders don’t score a ton, averaging 66.6 points. Rice scores at a much more aggressive clip, 75.3 points per game, but have given up 79.2 points per contest. If Rice plays their game and stays disciplined with the ball in their hands, the Owls should have too much offensive firepower for MTSU to keep up with.

The offense is only going to be as lethal as Chris Mullins makes it. After scoring double-digit points in 12-straight games, Mullins was held to six in the loss to North Texas on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. He hasn’t led the team in scoring since racking up 17 points against Omaha in late December.

Ako Adams and Jack Williams have helped carry the load offensively, but this team needs a bit more umph to put them over the edge. Mullins has that kind of talent.

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MBB: Owls suffer second-straight heartbreaking loss

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Rice basketball had a rough week. After falling to UTEP via a clock error the Owls dropped another heartbreaker, this time to North Texas.

It wasn’t a perfect performance from Rice on Saturday. There were mistakes and missteps which played a role in the evaporation of a 16-point lead which later gave way to the Owls’ third-consecutive road defeat. But it took, once again, a perfect storm of Rice mistakes plus unfortunate foul calls and bad bounces for North Texas to eke out the 1-point home win.

North Texas closed the game on an 11-2 run, led by six points (four from free throws) by Mike Miller. He finished with 12, one of four of the Mean Green to top double-digit points. Rice outrebound North Texas 41-31, but committed 18 turnovers to their opponents’ 10.

If the two teams played the final five minutes out 50 times, Rice probably holds on to what was then an 11-point advantage in 30 or 40 of those contests. The same is true of the final seconds of the UTEP game and several of the Owls close losses earlier in the season.

Unfortunately, there are no mulligans. This one stings, but a team which lost to North Texas by 16 a month ago led them by 16 on Saturday and lost by one. Progress is being made.

The Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 3 1-4 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 2 5 3 0 1 12 -3
PETERSON 1 0-1 0-1 1-2 1 5 6 1 2 1 1 0 13 -7
MULLINS 6 2-6 0-3 2-2 0 2 2 2 4 4 0 1 31 -12
WILLIAMS 20 8-11 2-5 2-3 2 8 10 1 2 3 0 0 34 -5
MILLORA-BROWN 4 2-5 0-0 0-0 1 7 8 1 3 0 0 1 17 -1
MOORE 4 1-3 0-0 2-3 0 0 0 3 5 2 0 0 18 13
PARRISH 7 3-5 0-1 1-4 1 1 2 0 3 1 0 0 16 -3
MURPHY III 18 6-9 4-6 2-3 1 2 3 2 3 2 0 0 32 8
MARTIN 12 3-9 1-3 5-8 2 6 8 4 4 1 0 0 28 5

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

Freshman guard Trey Murphy has shown flashes of greatness this season. His shooting smooth has always been smooth, but he’s been searching for his rhythm. He was the hot hand for the Owls against North Texas, playing a career-high 32 minutes on his way to a career-best 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from distance. His four three-pointers are the most he’s made in a single game this season.

Up next – Middle Tennessee

After an 0-3 road trip, Rice returns to the friendly confines of Tudor Fieldhouse. They’re 2-1 at home in conference play with the lone loss coming in their final game of 2018. Middle Tennessee lost 12 games in a row earlier this season. Despite their 5-14 record, the Blue Raiders head to Houston winners of two-straight.

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MBB: Owls prep for rematch with North Texas

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Rice basketball enters their rematch with North Texas with a sour taste in their mouth from the UTEP finish. Can the Owls rebound with a win over the Mean Green?

To say Rice fans, the team and head coach Scott Pera are frustrated with how the final seconds of the Owls’ road loss* to UTEP were officiated would be an understatement. Despite Conference USA’s ruling the “clock did not start on time” there won’t be any changes to the Owls’ record, which now sits at 2-3 in conference play. Time to move on.

Outside of a rough outing in their first CUSA road game against UTSA, Rice has been competitive in each of their five conference games to this point. That includes a 103-87 loss to North Texas, a game in which Rice led by double-digits early on.

Since downing Rice, North Texas has more or less maintained their status as one of the conference’s top teams. They lead all CUSA squads with 16 wins — no other school has more than 13. The rematch with Rice scheduled for broadcast on ESPN+. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

North Texas 16-2 (4-1), Last 5 (4-1)

  • L, 76-74 @ UTSA
  • W, 58-51 @ UTEP
  • W, 65-62 vs Southern Miss
  • W, 63-59 vs Louisiana Tech
  • W, 103-87 @ Rice

Rice 7-11 (2-3), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • L, 65-64 @ UTEP
  • L, 95-79 @ UTSA
  • W, 78-66 vs Louisiana Tech
  • W, 73-65 vs Southern Miss
  • L, 103-87 vs North Texas

North Texas players to watch

North Texas has been one of the most balanced teams in the conference this season. They spread the ball around on offense and own the third-best field goal percentage against (40.2 percent) in the conference. What makes the Mean Green so challenging is their lack of one definitive scoring threat. Zachary Simmons, Roosevelt Smart and Ryan Woolridge all topped 20 points in their first matchup with Rice. It’s going to take a collective, disciplined defensive effort on Saturday to limit the many scoring options.

Rice keys to victory

Chris Mullins is riding a 12-game streak with 10 or more points, but the freshman guard has been caught in a modest shooting slump over the past several weeks. He’s connected on fewer than 36 percent of his shots in three of the past four games and is shooting 15.4 percent on three-pointers in conference play.

If guys like Robert Martin and Jack Williams are providing a solid baseline, Mullins has the talent to take over a game and win it for the Owls. His potential is still awaiting a big spark. Getting that spark against North Texas could result in the Owls’ biggest road win of the season.

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MBB: Buzzer beater sends UTEP over Owls

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After making a big shot of their own, Rice basketball lost a heartbreaker on a buzzer-beating three point shot, falling to UTEP on the road.

Trey Murphy hit a three-point shot in the final second of the game and the Don Haskins Center let out a noticeable gasp. The Owls had led for the vast majority of the 39 minutes and 59 seconds, but UTEP had stormed back from a 17-point hole to retake the lead as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Murphy’s shot gave Rice a 64-63 advantage — the game clock read 0.6 seconds. After consulting the monitor the officials put 1.5 seconds on the clock and handed the ball back for UTEP. No problem, Quentin Millora-Brown deflected the in bounds pass and the buzzer rang.

Not so fast. 0.5 seconds was put back on the clock this time. Not enough to do much, but apparently just enough time for Jordan Lathon to knock down a shot, sending UTEP over Rice at the buzzer, 65-64.

The loss is tough to swallow for Rice, who fall to 2-3 in conference play after winning two straight games to start out the New Year. Ako Adams missed a good portion of the game with an injury. Having him on the court down the stretch would have been huge. Instead, UTEP picks up their first conference win of the season.

The Box

PLAYER FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
J. Williams 6-13 3-6 0-2 3 8 11 1 0 2 2 4 15
Q. Millora-Brown 1-2 0-0 0-1 3 1 4 3 1 0 2 2 2
D. Peterson 2-5 2-3 0-0 1 2 3 0 0 0 1 1 6
C. Mullins 4-13 1-4 1-1 0 1 1 3 2 0 2 1 10
A. Adams 2-8 2-7 2-4 0 1 1 3 0 0 1 3 8
R. Martin 4-8 2-4 4-5 3 9 12 1 1 0 3 2 14
J. Parrish 0-4 0-1 0-0 1 2 3 0 0 0 2 4 0
T. Murphy 3-7 3-6 0-0 1 3 4 0 2 1 0 2 9

Player of the game – Robert Martin

Rice has used three different starting lineups this season; none have included freshman forward Robert Martin. That hasn’t stopped Martin from becoming a tremendous asset for the Owls off the bench. He picked up his second double-double of the season against UTEP, snagging 12 boards and scoring a team-high 14 points. He also added a steal and an assist.

Up next – At North Texas

The lone conference game Rice played before the New Year came on Dec. 29 against North Texas. The 12-1 Mean Green had compiled the best non-conference record among CUSA squads. They were able to take down the Owls 103-87, but the game was closer than the final score indicates. Rice held an 11-point lead midway through the first half before a cold shooting streak opened the doors for North Texas to pull away.

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