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MBB: UTEP game preview

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Rice basketball is 2-1 in the New Year and looking to stay above .500 with a win over UTEP on Saturday. Can the Owls get it done?

After a two-straight conference wins over Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech, Rice fell on the road to UTSA on Thursday. The setback puts them at 2-2 in conference play with two more games remaining on the Owls’ longest conference road trip of the season.

UTEP has had more struggles than Rice this season. The Miners haven’t beaten a team all season who currently holds a winning record. The closest they’ve come was a seven-point victory over Eastern New Mexico, a DII squad.

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

UTEP 5-9 (0-3), Last 5 (1-4)

  • L, 58-51 vs North Texas
  • L, 67-63 vs UTSA
  • L, 75-60 @ UTSA
  • W, 76-65 vs Wyoming
  • L, 75-62 vs Norfolk State

Rice 7-10 (2-2), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • L, 95-79 @ UTSA
  • W, 78-66 vs Louisiana Tech
  • W, 73-65 vs Southern Miss
  • L, 103-87 vs North Texas
  • L, 83-66 vs Omaha

UTEP players to watch

Freshman forward Ege Odigie has been the driving force for all the Miners’ successes on both ends of the court. He leads the team with 10.1 rebounds per game, 7.6 on the defensive glass. He’s also second in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game despite being fifth on the team in average minutes played per game.

Sophomore guard Evan Gilyard leads UTEP in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game, but freshman Jordan Lathon might be the most dangerous player on the court. Foul trouble has limited his upside this season, but he’s averaging 15 points per game over his last five games in which he hasn’t fouled out. He leads the team in assists (3.1 per game) and steals (1.3 per game).

Rice keys to victory

Despite having several players with scoring potential, the ceiling of the UTEP offense is extremely limited. Shot for shot, they don’t match up on a consistent basis with players like Chris Mullins and Jack Williams.

Rice has to come to play and find ways to neutralize UTEP’s interior presence. Getting UTEP to the line isn’t the goal, rather Rice needs to force the Miners to take bad shots and be there to capitalize on the rebound.

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MBB: Owls drop first CUSA road tilt to UTSA

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Rice basketball saw their conference winning streak come to an end, falling on the road to UTSA by a final score of 95-79.

The assignment coming into this game for Rice was relatively straightforward. Guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace came in averaging nearly 40 points per game. They were going to score — the Owls just needed to make sure the other pieces of the Roadrunner offense were limited. Things did not go according to plan on that front.

Jackson and Wallace scored 40-flat, but Giovanni De Nicolao notched 19 points and Nick Allen put up 20 points, both season highs. Those four scored 86 of the Roadrunners 75 points, more than enough to cover a respectable shooting night from Rice,

The Owls shot 44.4 percent from the field, but only 25 percent from three. Nine different players both scored and registered at least one rebound. Outside of an off night from Jack Williams, who was coming off back-to-back double-doubles, the rest of the offense played well enough. It was defense, once again, that cost them against the Roadrunners.

UTSA topped 90 points in two other contests this season, wins over Mid-American Christian and Bethany College. Their previous scoring high in Conference USA was 75.

The Box

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

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

It wasn’t a great team shooting performance for the Owls, but freshman Trey Murphy found the net several times. He tied a career-best with three three-point shots made. His development from behind the arc is important for this offense — the more nights like this he has, the better.

Up next – UTEP

One road game down, two to go. Rice will continue their longest CUSA road trip of the season on Saturday, heading west to El Paso to take on UTEP. The Miners are 0-3 in CUSA play so far and 5-9 on the season.

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MBB: UTSA game preview

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Rice basketball is riding a two-game winning streak in Conference play. Can the Owls make it three in a row with a win over UTSA on Thursday?

Rice is playing their best basketball of the season at an opportune time. After a slow winter on the court, the Owls have won two in a row. If they want to extend that streak to three they’ll have to win on the road, something that’s been a challenge for head coach Scott Pera’s younger squad.

The Owls have one road win in six chances, downing Rio Grande Valley 75-67 on Dec. 18. Outside of that game, Rice has dropped all their other away games by double-digits. A win against UTSA would give Rice a two-game road winning streak and a third win in conference play.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

UTSA 8-7 (2-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • W, 67-63 @ UTEP
  • W, 75-60 vs UTEP
  • W, 70-67 vs Southeastern Oklahoma St
  • W, 64-50 @ Texas A&M CC
  • W, 101-77 vs Bethany College

Rice 7-9 (2-1), Last 5 – (3-2)

  • W, 78-66 vs Louisiana Tech
  • W, 73-65 vs Southern Miss
  • L, 103-87 vs North Texas
  • L, 83-66 vs Omaha
  • W, 75-67 @ Rio Grande Valley

UTSA players to watch

It’s been a two-man show for UTSA this season. Sophomore guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace lead the way, averaging 20.5 and 18.4 points per game, respectively. There have been two games of single-digit scoring between them this season. It doesn’t matter who’s matched up against them, both Jackson and Wallace have torched even the better defensive teams they’ve faced in non-conference play.

The problem for UTSA comes with the next man up. After Jackson and Wallace get their 40 points the Roadrunners have struggled to find anyone else who can be relied upon consistently.

Senior forward Nick Allen has had spurts of strong play, but foul trouble and poor shooting nights have been concerns. Junior forward Byron Frohnen leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.8 boards per game.

Rice keys to victory

The Rice defense has been the linchpin to the Owls’ recent success. After allowing three of their previous four opponents to top 80 points, Rice held both Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech in the 60’s — both of those offenses average in the mid-70’s.

Against UTSA the secret might just be limiting the Roadrunners secondary players. Jackson and Wallace have combined for 40+ points, but they’ve yet to score 70 together against any D1 programs. They’re going to need help. If Rice can limit those secondary pieces and keep the two stars from going too ballistic, things should work out well.

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MBB: Louisiana Tech win secures first winning streak for Scott Pera

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Rice basketball improved to 2-1 in conference play with their second-straight victory, earning the Owls’ first winning streak under coach Scott Pera.

For the first 38 minutes of Saturday’s matinee tilt, neither Rice nor Louisiana Tech was able to secure any kind of meaningful advantage.  The Owls earned two eight-point leads but the visiting Bulldogs rallied to retake the lead on each occasion.

Jacolby Pemberton made a layup with 4:26 remaining to give Louisiana Tech a one-point edge. After that, it was all Rice. The Owls scored 17 of the final 21 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to secure the 78-66 victory.

The win comes on the heels of a 73-65 victory on Thursday over Southern Miss. Together, the pair of victories mark the first winning streak for Scott Pera at Rice. Things are looking up for the Owls, who have the third-best record in CUSA after three games.

The Box

# Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
03* ADAMS 16 5-12 4-7 2-2 0 3 3 0 3 1 0 0 27 16
23* PETERSON 2 1-3 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 17 5
24* MULLINS 15 5-14 1-2 4-6 1 4 5 6 3 2 0 2 27 11
32* WILLIAMS 15 6-11 3-4 0-0 4 7 11 0 1 0 0 0 28 19
42* MILLORA-BROWN 6 3-6 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 3 3 1 3 0 22 -1
0 MOORE 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 -3
1 PARRISH 5 1-1 0-0 3-3 2 4 6 1 2 2 1 0 18 4
2 MURPHY III 8 3-7 2-6 0-0 1 5 6 1 2 0 0 0 22 3
10 MARTIN 11 3-9 1-3 4-4 1 4 5 2 0 0 0 1 27 6
35 HARRISON 0 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0

Player of the game – Ako Adams

A 12-point win doesn’t typically occur without multiple players having big days. Jack Williams tallied his second-straight double-double, but it was Ako Adams and his four three-pointers that played the most crucial role on Saturday. Adams was a momentum-making piece, extending Rice leads and erasing deficits with his smooth stroke. Adams leads the Owls with 38 triples on the season, converting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc on the year.

Up next – Road?

After playing four straight games in the friendly confines of Tudor Fieldhouse, the Owls will hit the road for a three-game road trip. Their first stop will be Thursday, Jan. 10 in San Antonio where they’ll take on UTSA at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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MBB: Louisiana Tech game preview

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Rice basketball picked up their first conference win this week. Can they make it a winning streak with a win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday?

Rice and Louisiana Tech sport eerily similar CUSA records after two games of conference play. Both squads are 1-1 with wins over Southern Miss (0-2) and losses to North Texas (2-0). They’ll meet in an earlier rubber game of sorts on Saturday, Jan. 5. The winner will improve to 2-1, no worse than tied for second place in CUSA.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

Louisiana Tech 11-4 (1-1), Last 5 (1-4)

  • L, 63-59 @ North Texas
  • W, 71-56 vs Southern Miss
  • W, 73-68 vs Texas A&M CC
  • W, 83-62 @ Louisiana
  • W, 96-80 vs Mississippi Valley State

Rice 6-9 (1-1), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • W, 73-65 vs Southern Miss
  • L, 103-87 vs North Texas
  • L, 83-66 vs Omaha
  • W, 75-67 @ Rio Grande Valley
  • L, 99-89 (OT) vs UC Santa Barbara

Louisiana Tech players to watch

Guard Daquan Bracey is one of the most productive shooters in the conference. He enters Saturday’s contest with the Owls with a 46.5 percent shooting percentage from the field, sixth best in CUSA. He leads Louisiana Tech in scoring (13.8 points per game), assists (4.1) and steals (1.2).

Checking in at 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-7, respectively,  Oliver Powell and Anthony Duruji provide a strong interior presence. Both forward average at least six rebounds per game and have the ability to score in bunches.

Louisiana Tech can score. If not one of those three, expect to see sharpshooter Amorie Archibald who has hit a team-high 28 three-point shots.

Rice keys to victory

Closing out games has been a struggle for Rice in the early going. The last time out against Southern Miss might have been one of the Owls’ best finishes of the season. The Eagles connected on just three shots over the final five minutes, failing to regain a lead they’d had for most of the game.

Louisiana Tech is one of the stronger teams in Conference USA. The Bulldogs went a perfect 7-0 in December before stumbling in their first game of the New Year. North Texas held them to 59 points, but they’re still averaging 78.6 points per game. If Louisiana Tech gets hot the Owls could find themselves buried quickly, making staying disciplined and contesting shots a must on Saturday.

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