Wednesday, March 6
Charlotte, NC
6 p.m.
Rice University
79
at
70
Charlotte
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Balanced Scoring Propels Rice to 79-70 Victory at Charlotte
3/6/2019 10:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — All eight players scored as Rice used a balance offense to defeat Charlotte, 79-70, in the first of two straight games against the 49ers, Wednesday night at Halton Arena.
What Head Coach Scott Pera Had to Say
"What a tremendous four-minute stretch to end the game. I told the guys at the four-minute media about closing out a game, handling it the right way (and) getting stops. But, we had been sharing the ball the whole game. We missed some open shots that we make, but at the end of the day, we still went 11-for-22 from three. The freshmen continued to impress. But, the older guys tonight, Robert (Martin) and Ako (Adams), made huge plays late. It was just a gutsy performance.
The Story
Rice scored the first six points of the game. After Charlotte tied the game at six, the Owls hit their next seven shots, going on a 19-5 run to take its largest lead of the game, 25-11, with 9:26 to play in the half. After the 49ers scored eight of the next 11 points, Rice got baskets from Drew Peterson and Jack Williams to push its lead to 13. However, Charlotte scored seven of the final nine first half points, as Rice entered halftime with 34-26 lead. The second half started with baskets from Chris Mullins and Quentin Millora-Brown. But, Rice missed five of its next six shots as Charlotte went on a 16-3 run to take its first lead of the game, 43-42. After Rice answered with a 10-3 run, the teams battled back and forth, with the 49ers pulling within one point three times. However, with Rice holding a 72-68 lead, Robert Martin converted a three-point play and Mullins connected on four straight free throws to ice the game.
The Stats
Rice connected on 49.2% from the field and 50.0% from three. Charlotte was held to 37.7% from the floor and 32.0% from three. Rice outrebounded the 49ers, 39-to-32 and outscored them in the paint, 34-to-18.
Notes
• Rice improved to 13-17 on the year and 8-9 in Conference USA.
• Rice is 7-4 all-time against Charlotte and leads 4-1 in games played in Charlotte.
• Rice has won the last five games in the series, dating back to the beginning of 2017.
• Rice has now won three straight games for the first time since 2016-17.
• With the victory, Rice clinched the 11th seed in next week's Conference USA Tournament.
• Drew Peterson led the Owls with 15 points and six assists.
• Chris Mullins scored 14 points and led Rice with a career-high tying eight rebounds.
• Ako Adams scored 12 points on four three-pointers.
• With his four three-pointers, Adams passed Omar-Seli Mance (2000-03) and Tommy McGhee (1992-96) for 13th on the Rice career three-pointers list with 145.
• Robert Martin added 12 points and two steals.
• Quentin Millora-Brown and Jack Williams both had nine points and seven rebounds.
• With seven rebounds, Millora-Brown passed Elbert Darden (1975-76) for eighth place on the Rice freshman rebound list.
Next Up
Rice will close the regular season this Saturday, Mar. 9, when it plays Charlotte for the second straight time. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed live by CUSAtv.
What Head Coach Scott Pera Had to Say
"What a tremendous four-minute stretch to end the game. I told the guys at the four-minute media about closing out a game, handling it the right way (and) getting stops. But, we had been sharing the ball the whole game. We missed some open shots that we make, but at the end of the day, we still went 11-for-22 from three. The freshmen continued to impress. But, the older guys tonight, Robert (Martin) and Ako (Adams), made huge plays late. It was just a gutsy performance.
The Story
Rice scored the first six points of the game. After Charlotte tied the game at six, the Owls hit their next seven shots, going on a 19-5 run to take its largest lead of the game, 25-11, with 9:26 to play in the half. After the 49ers scored eight of the next 11 points, Rice got baskets from Drew Peterson and Jack Williams to push its lead to 13. However, Charlotte scored seven of the final nine first half points, as Rice entered halftime with 34-26 lead. The second half started with baskets from Chris Mullins and Quentin Millora-Brown. But, Rice missed five of its next six shots as Charlotte went on a 16-3 run to take its first lead of the game, 43-42. After Rice answered with a 10-3 run, the teams battled back and forth, with the 49ers pulling within one point three times. However, with Rice holding a 72-68 lead, Robert Martin converted a three-point play and Mullins connected on four straight free throws to ice the game.
The Stats
Rice connected on 49.2% from the field and 50.0% from three. Charlotte was held to 37.7% from the floor and 32.0% from three. Rice outrebounded the 49ers, 39-to-32 and outscored them in the paint, 34-to-18.
Notes
• Rice improved to 13-17 on the year and 8-9 in Conference USA.
• Rice is 7-4 all-time against Charlotte and leads 4-1 in games played in Charlotte.
• Rice has won the last five games in the series, dating back to the beginning of 2017.
• Rice has now won three straight games for the first time since 2016-17.
• With the victory, Rice clinched the 11th seed in next week's Conference USA Tournament.
• Drew Peterson led the Owls with 15 points and six assists.
• Chris Mullins scored 14 points and led Rice with a career-high tying eight rebounds.
• Ako Adams scored 12 points on four three-pointers.
• With his four three-pointers, Adams passed Omar-Seli Mance (2000-03) and Tommy McGhee (1992-96) for 13th on the Rice career three-pointers list with 145.
• Robert Martin added 12 points and two steals.
• Quentin Millora-Brown and Jack Williams both had nine points and seven rebounds.
• With seven rebounds, Millora-Brown passed Elbert Darden (1975-76) for eighth place on the Rice freshman rebound list.
Next Up
Rice will close the regular season this Saturday, Mar. 9, when it plays Charlotte for the second straight time. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed live by CUSAtv.
Players Mentioned
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