The source for Rice sports news

Rice Basketball topped at FAU

By

Rice Basketball couldn’t hang on to a 16-point second-half lead, succumbing to Florida Atlantic on the road.

It was an evenly matched game in the early goings of Rice basketball’s road tilt at Florida Atlantic on Sunday. Everything was close until the visiting Owls started to get going offensively, cranking up their effectiveness from three. Five different Owls made a triple in the half as a modest lead began to form.

Jacob Dar led the way, making the most of his first start of the season with a team-high 19 points, including a pair of threes to start the second half which helped Rice establish a double-digit lead and maintain it for the better part of the second half until FAU began to chip away in earnest around the 10 minute mark.

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

Dar would contribute a couple of threes down the stretch to help fend off the FAU rally, but the Rice shooting began to slump, collectively. FAU would close the game on a 17-5 run, holding Rice to two field goals in the final five minutes of play to pull out the come-from-behind win.

Final Box | FAU 75, Rice 73

Key takeaway | Clutch moments

After starting AAC play 2-0, Rice basketball has lost their last four conference games. Winning out was never a realistic expectation, but given how well this team had played in recent weeks, a prolonged losing streak didn’t seem likely to be in the cards either. A bludgeoning at the hands of a talented North Texas team aside, Rice could have very easily won the rest of these games.

The Owls were in one-possession games late against Temple, UTSA and FAU but weren’t able to close out any of them. It’s clear this team has another step to take when it comes to making plays in the final few minutes that prove differential in winning basketball games. Close games are going to happen in conference play and tend to become hallmarks of which teams are remembered in March.

This team has been remarkably ahead of expectations for much of this season and they’ve managed to play competitive basketball almost every time they’ve taken the court. This is their next test. Can they learn to win on the fly when the schedule starts to get tougher? Because the road doesn’t get easier from here.

Up Next: vs Tulane (Sat, Jan. 25)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball rally comes up short against Temple

By

Rice Basketball rallied late to take a one-point lead, but was unable to complete the comeback, falling at home to Temple.

Three consecutive baskets from the visitors put Rice basketball in an early 6-0 hole on Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse. That deficit proved to be something that would stick around for the better portion of the contest as the hosting Owls played most of the game from behind.

Andrew Akuchie, who finished with his first career double-double, spurred the first Rice rally. He gave Rice its first lead roughly five minutes into the game, adding an emphatic dunk to steal back some early momentum. But as was the case for most of the afternoon, Temple was quick to answer, ripping off a 15-2 run soon afterward only to see Rice bring the game back to even a few minutes later.

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

Down by four at the break, the second half transformed into a much more level affair. Neither side led by double digits at any point with the game still hanging in the balance when the final moments arrived. Rice led by 1 with three minutes to play but would be forced to play catch up down the stretch as Temple made its foul shots to hang on for the win.

Final Box | Temple 73, Rice 70

What They’re Saying

“We were guarding (Temple) pretty good in the second half, but we missed maybe 10 layups right at the rim, over the course of the game. Meanwhile, we were working our tail off to stop (Jamal) Mashburn and (Quante) Berry from three. So, we’ve got to make the layups. We had a size advantage for a big portion of the game. We only turned the ball over 10 times. We have 14 offensive rebounds, and in a three-point game, you can’t miss that many layups.” — Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | Small Margins

Rice basketball came painfully close from winning this basketball game but finished just a play or two short of pulling out the victory. Head coach Rob Lanier lamented the missed layups, a easily identifiable culprit in a game in which Rice did so many things well.

The Owls had more steals and more assists, shot better from the floor and delivered season best totals for field goals made and second-chance points. The only measure Temple cleared outperformed Rice in was rebounds, edging the hosting Owls by 10 in that category.

This was truly the sort of game where one different bounce or one more made basket could have easily swayed the results. Playing competitive basketball game in and game out is an encouraging step for this program. The next plateau is finding ways to consistently when more of these games than not.

Up Next: vs UTSA (Tues, Jan. 14)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball defeated in Denton

By

Rice Basketball came up short in one of their most challenging road tests of the season, becoming one of many teams to fall to North Texas in Denton.

North Texas started the scoring on Wednesday night and never really let up. Early three-pointers from Alem Huseinovic and Jacob Dar helped erase an early eight point deficit to give Rice a one-point lead halfway through the first half. It wouldn’t last long. Consecutive triples from the Mean Green’s Atin Wright quickly thrust the Owls into comeback mode.

Both teams were fairly evenly matched in rebounds, assists and turnovers. North Texas just found the bucket more often than not, shooting an unmatchable 55 percent from the floor. That superb shooting stroke turned a close game into a 14-point edge for the home team at halftime.

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

The game was never back within reach from that point onward. Caden Powell put up 10 points in the second half. Denver Anglin scored eight. North Texas kept up its torrid pace, finishing the game with 11 three-pointers and a near-perfect 16-for-17 outing from the free throw line.

Final Box | North Texas 81, Rice 59

Key takeaway | Moving On

Rice basketball avenged some history earlier this season when they beat Tulsa for the first time since 2005, snapping a streak of 17 consecutive defeats. It hadn’t been quite that long since the Owls had beaten the Mean Green, but winning in Denton was still a rarity. In face, Rice had won twice in Denton all-time against North Texas.

North Texas was undefeated at home so far this season (8-0 entering this game) and is one of the better teams in the AAC. Rice basketball has come a long way from their lowly preseason expectations, but a road loss at the Super Pit to one a good team isn’t the end of the world. Nights like this are going to happen as this team continues to grow. Best to put it in the rear view mirror and keep moving forward.

Up Next: vs Temple (Sat, Jan. 11)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball: 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

By

It’s been an encouraging start for Rice Basketball in their first season under head coach Rob Lanier. Here’s where the Owls stand as American Conference play begins.

Already 2-0 in league play, Rice basketball is riding high in their first season under the leadership of head coach Rob Lanier. The Owls have played largely competitive basketball games and gotten off to a strong start under their new head man.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Can they keep it up? That’s the crucial question facing this squad as they pass the midpoint of the season. Here’s where the Owls stand at the halfway point, a few important milestones and notes from the journey to this point and a recalibration of expectations for the rest of the way.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball powers past Charlotte in AAC home opener

By

Rice basketball never trailed after halftime, taking down Charlotte at Tudor Fieldhouse to clinch the Owls’ first-ever 2-0 start in AAC play.

Looking to improve to 2-0 in AAC play for the first time in program history, Rice Basketball weathered an early barrage of three-pointers from Charlotte before finding their groove. With the game tied 21-21, Andrew Akuchie sparked a 10-0 Rice run which included an emphatic three from himself to put the home team in front by 10. Rice never looked back.

Charlotte would not roll over. The visiting 49ers cut their deficit to as little as four points midway through the second half, but a resilient combination of consistent defense and great shooting from the Owls kept the game from ever getting too close again. Following a Charlotte three-pointer with 10:06 to play, Rice would not allow Charlotte to score on back-to-back possessions for the remainder of the game.

Nine different Rice players recorded multiple field goals. Seven recorded multiple rebounds. Another full-team effort paid off in fresh legs in the final moments and seemingly limitless support off the bench, which outscored Charlotte’s bench 26-22.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

The Owls put the game out of reach for good with an 8-1 run in the final minute and a half of play, scoring all of those points from the free throw line. Early season struggles at the charity stripe didn’t seem to spook the team on Saturday with Rice knocking down 14-of-16 free throws to hold on for a relatively comfortable double-digit victory.

Final Box | Rice 68, Charlotte 55

Key takeaway | Already, 11

The victory over Charlotte was the 11th win for Rob Lanier and his team so far this season with the bulk of conference play still on deck. A 2-0 start in league play is significant in itself, but the 11th win is another milestone for this staff in their first year at the helm.

Rice basketball won 11 games last season in 33 attempts. This current squad is 11-4. Last year’s team won their second conference game on January 31. Lanier’s bunch went 2-0 in league play by January 4.

All teams, schedules and circumstances aren’t created equal and this is by no means an apples to apples comparison, but it’s a major step forward for a program that finally has momentum and a definitive culture working in tandem. Even if they don’t win two-thirds of their games for the remainder of the season, the precedent has been set.

A new era of Rice basketball has officially arrived on South Main. And this version of the Owls are going to play tenacious defense and fight for 40 minutes. So far, that’s meant a sizable jump in the win column.

Up Next: vs North Texas (Wed, Jan. 8)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts