Sunday, November 24
Nassau, Bahamas
4 p.m.
Rice University
6-3
77
vs
69
East Carolina
2-5
1
2
F
East Carolina Pirates
32
37
69
Rice
27
50
77
Photo by: © Maria Lysaker
Strong Second Half Shooting Lifts Rice over East Carolina at Islands of the Bahamas Showcase
11/24/2019 8:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NASSAU, Bahamas — Rice shot 57.1% in the second half, turning a five-point halftime deficit into a 77-69 victory over East Carolina in the third-place game of the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase, Sunday night.
The Story
Ako Adams hit his first three three-pointers as Rice jumped out to an 11-4 lead just 5:10 into the game. But East Carolina went on a 10-3 run over the next 6:30 to tie the game at 14. The teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes. With the game tied at 20, Josh Parrish made one-of-two free throws and Chris Mullins made a jumper to give Rice a 23-20 lead with 5:34 to play in the half. However, Rice made just one of its final seven shots as ECU closed the half on a 12-4 run to take a 32-27 lead into the break. Rice started the second half on fire making eight of its first 10 shots over the first five minutes to start the second half on a 19-10 run to take a 46-42 lead. After an ECU basket, Robert Martin hit a three-pointer to give Rice a five-point lead. But five straight East Carolina points tied the game at 49. Drew Peterson scored five straight but two straight Pirate baskets made it a one-point game. A jumper by Martin, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, began a 6-0 run, but four straight ECU points cut the deficit to three points. However, a 7-0 run gave Rice a 67-57 lead with 4:41 to play. East Carolina would get no closer than six points.
The Stats
Rice shot 43.6% from the field and 29.6% from three. East Carolina connected on 36.1% from the floor but just 5.0% from three. Rice was outrebounded by the Pirates, 45-to-37 but connected on 72.4% from the free throw line.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"I'm really proud of the guys. At halftime, they were saying the right things. They had the right approach. They really wanted to get the win. They knew they didn't play their best in the first half and that it would take a better second half to beat a good East Carolina team. Drew (Peterson) sparked us and got hot and we made the plays that we needed to make to win and get out of here 2-1. It's a great feeling and we're very excited."
Notes
• Rice improved to 6-3 on the year.
• Rice improved to 6-9 all-time against East Carolina and snapped a six-game losing streak in the series.
• This was the first meeting as non-conference opponents. The first 14 meetings came as members of Conference USA.
• This was Rice's first-ever victory over the American Athletic Conference in six meetings.
• Rice scored 50 points in the second half. It is the fourth time this season that Rice has scored at least 50 points in a half.
• Drew Peterson tied a season-high with 16 points while recording six rebounds and a game-high four assists.
• Ako Adams scored 15 points. He connected on three, three-pointers and was 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
• Robert Martin scored 14 points and had a team-high seven rebounds.
• Max Fiedler grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Next Up
Rice will have two weeks off before it returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Dec. 7 when it travels to Beaumont to face Lamar. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Story
Ako Adams hit his first three three-pointers as Rice jumped out to an 11-4 lead just 5:10 into the game. But East Carolina went on a 10-3 run over the next 6:30 to tie the game at 14. The teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes. With the game tied at 20, Josh Parrish made one-of-two free throws and Chris Mullins made a jumper to give Rice a 23-20 lead with 5:34 to play in the half. However, Rice made just one of its final seven shots as ECU closed the half on a 12-4 run to take a 32-27 lead into the break. Rice started the second half on fire making eight of its first 10 shots over the first five minutes to start the second half on a 19-10 run to take a 46-42 lead. After an ECU basket, Robert Martin hit a three-pointer to give Rice a five-point lead. But five straight East Carolina points tied the game at 49. Drew Peterson scored five straight but two straight Pirate baskets made it a one-point game. A jumper by Martin, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, began a 6-0 run, but four straight ECU points cut the deficit to three points. However, a 7-0 run gave Rice a 67-57 lead with 4:41 to play. East Carolina would get no closer than six points.
The Stats
Rice shot 43.6% from the field and 29.6% from three. East Carolina connected on 36.1% from the floor but just 5.0% from three. Rice was outrebounded by the Pirates, 45-to-37 but connected on 72.4% from the free throw line.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"I'm really proud of the guys. At halftime, they were saying the right things. They had the right approach. They really wanted to get the win. They knew they didn't play their best in the first half and that it would take a better second half to beat a good East Carolina team. Drew (Peterson) sparked us and got hot and we made the plays that we needed to make to win and get out of here 2-1. It's a great feeling and we're very excited."
Notes
• Rice improved to 6-3 on the year.
• Rice improved to 6-9 all-time against East Carolina and snapped a six-game losing streak in the series.
• This was the first meeting as non-conference opponents. The first 14 meetings came as members of Conference USA.
• This was Rice's first-ever victory over the American Athletic Conference in six meetings.
• Rice scored 50 points in the second half. It is the fourth time this season that Rice has scored at least 50 points in a half.
• Drew Peterson tied a season-high with 16 points while recording six rebounds and a game-high four assists.
• Ako Adams scored 15 points. He connected on three, three-pointers and was 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
• Robert Martin scored 14 points and had a team-high seven rebounds.
• Max Fiedler grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Next Up
Rice will have two weeks off before it returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Dec. 7 when it travels to Beaumont to face Lamar. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Team Stats
ECU
RICE
FG%
.361
.429
3FG%
.050
.296
FT%
.727
.724
RB
46
38
TO
11
14
STL
4
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG/F
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