
Men's Hoops Drops Second Straight Heartbreaker, 76-75, at North Texas
1/19/2019 8:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DENTON, Texas — North Texas' Michael Miller hit a layup with 0.6 seconds left to cap off a 24-7 run and hand Rice a 76-75 defeat, Saturday night at the Super Pit.
The Story
Rice led 54-51 before going on a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the game, 68-52, with 7:01 to play. Five straight UNT points cut Rice's lead to 11 and forced the Owls to take a timeout. Junior Robert Martin then hit a three-pointer to push the lead to 71-57. However, Rice turned the ball over on four straight possessions as the Mean Green scored seven straight points to cut the deficit in half. Martin made a layup to push the lead to 73-64 with 3:18 to play. But, in its next six possessions, Rice missed four shots and turned the ball over twice as North Texas went on a 10-0 run to take a 74-73 lead with 32 seconds to play. Chris Mullins then made a driving layup to give the Owls the one-point lead with seven seconds to play. But, Ryan Woolridge got the ball to Miller at the top of the key and drove in for the layup, getting his shot over Jack Williams' extended arm and handing Rice its second straight one-point defeat.
The Stats
Rice shot 49.1% from the field and 36.4% from three. The Owls held North Texas to just 41.5% from the floor and 24.0% from three. Rice also outrebounded the Mean Green, 41-to-31 and had 41 points off the bench. However, UNT was 26-of-39 from the free throw line while Rice was 15-of-25.
Notes
• Rice fell to 7-12 on the year and 2-4 in Conference USA.
• Rice is 7-16 all-time against North Texas and 1-8 in games played in Denton.
• Jack Williams recorded his second straight double-double and fifth of the year, leading all players with a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• Williams' eight made field goals were also a career-high.
• Williams became the fifth different Owl to score 20 points this year, joining Robert Martin (three times), Chris Mullins (three times), Ako Adams (once) and Quentin Millora-Brown (once).
• Trey Murphy III set career-highs with 18 points and four three-pointers.
• Murphy III now has 32 three-pointers on the year to move into ninth-place on Rice's freshman list, passing Robert Johnson (1995-96), Dylan Ennis (2011-12) and Jay Christian (1999-2000).
• Robert Martin scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds while recording a game-high four assists.
Next Up
Rice returns home for two games, beginning next Thursday, Jan. 24, when it hosts Middle Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by CUSAtv.
The Story
Rice led 54-51 before going on a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the game, 68-52, with 7:01 to play. Five straight UNT points cut Rice's lead to 11 and forced the Owls to take a timeout. Junior Robert Martin then hit a three-pointer to push the lead to 71-57. However, Rice turned the ball over on four straight possessions as the Mean Green scored seven straight points to cut the deficit in half. Martin made a layup to push the lead to 73-64 with 3:18 to play. But, in its next six possessions, Rice missed four shots and turned the ball over twice as North Texas went on a 10-0 run to take a 74-73 lead with 32 seconds to play. Chris Mullins then made a driving layup to give the Owls the one-point lead with seven seconds to play. But, Ryan Woolridge got the ball to Miller at the top of the key and drove in for the layup, getting his shot over Jack Williams' extended arm and handing Rice its second straight one-point defeat.
The Stats
Rice shot 49.1% from the field and 36.4% from three. The Owls held North Texas to just 41.5% from the floor and 24.0% from three. Rice also outrebounded the Mean Green, 41-to-31 and had 41 points off the bench. However, UNT was 26-of-39 from the free throw line while Rice was 15-of-25.
Notes
• Rice fell to 7-12 on the year and 2-4 in Conference USA.
• Rice is 7-16 all-time against North Texas and 1-8 in games played in Denton.
• Jack Williams recorded his second straight double-double and fifth of the year, leading all players with a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• Williams' eight made field goals were also a career-high.
• Williams became the fifth different Owl to score 20 points this year, joining Robert Martin (three times), Chris Mullins (three times), Ako Adams (once) and Quentin Millora-Brown (once).
• Trey Murphy III set career-highs with 18 points and four three-pointers.
• Murphy III now has 32 three-pointers on the year to move into ninth-place on Rice's freshman list, passing Robert Johnson (1995-96), Dylan Ennis (2011-12) and Jay Christian (1999-2000).
• Robert Martin scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds while recording a game-high four assists.
Next Up
Rice returns home for two games, beginning next Thursday, Jan. 24, when it hosts Middle Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by CUSAtv.
Team Stats
RICE
UNT
FG%
.491
.415
3FG%
.364
.240
FT%
.600
.667
RB
41
31
TO
18
10
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Players Mentioned
Rice Men's Basketball Team Impact Signing
Friday, March 28
Rice MBB vs. Wichita State Postgame Presser
Friday, March 07
Rice vs. Tulsa Postgame Press Conference 2/22/25
Saturday, February 22
MBB Postgame Presser vs. UAB 2/19/25
Thursday, February 20