Thursday, February 6
Birmingham, AL
7 p.m.
Rice University
11-13, 3-8CUSA
86
at
72
UAB
14-10, 5-6,CUSA
1
2
F
Rice
47
39
86
UAB
28
44
72
Balanced Scoring Leads to 86-72 Rice Victory over UAB
2/6/2020 11:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Rice placed six players in double-figures as it defeated UAB, 86-72, for its second straight win and first-ever in Birmingham, Thursday night at Bartow Arena.
How it Happened
UAB opened the game with a three-pointer. But a Josh Parrish layup sent Rice on an 8-0 run. After another UAB three, Parrish made a layup and Trey Murphy III hit a three. The teams then traded baskets before back-to-back buckets from Murphy and Drew Peterson gave Rice a nine-point lead midway through the first half. An 8-2 UAB run cut the lead to 22-19 before the teams again traded baskets. With Rice holding a 25-22 lead, Ako Adams and Quincy Olivari hit back-to-back three-pointers to push its lead to nine. After a UAB basket, Murphy hit a three-pointer and Olivari scored five straight points to give Rice a 39-24 lead. Two straight baskets cut the lead to 11 with 2:11 remaining. But the Owls stepped up their play. Murphy hit his third three-pointer and then Chris Mullins converted a three-point play and nailed a jumper with two seconds left to send Rice into halftime leading 47-28.
Rice continued its hot shooting in the second half, making its first five shots to outscore the Blazers 13-3 and open up its largest lead of the game, 60-31, just 3:30 into the second stanza. UAB tried to chip away at the deficit, going on a 7-0 run. The teams then went back-and-forth over the next 6:42 before six straight points cut the lead to 71-56 with 5:36 to play. However, the Owls went on an 8-2 run, capped by a three-pointer by Olivari, to put the game away.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"We played outstanding basketball. We were ready to go from the start. The team was really, really locked in on what it was going to take. They're building on what we've done. Now they're starting to take the defense to another level. We really shared the ball with six players in double-figures. Again, that's when we're at our best. That's when we are a dangerous team. I couldn't be prouder of our guys and their growth. They started the second half with a big lead and they weren't satisfied. They were more locked in. It was just an all-around good team win and I'm really proud to get Rice's first win here."
The Stats
Rice connected on 52.7% from the field and 46.4% from three. UAB connected on 52.8% from the floor and 50.0% from behind the arc. Rice was also 15-of-20 from the free throw line while UAB was just 6-of-19. The teams both pulled down 31 rebounds while Rice outscored the Blazers, 21-7, off turnovers.
Notes
• Rice improved to 11-13 on the year and 3-8 in Conference USA.
• Rice improved to 2-14 all-time against UAB and 1-7 in Birmingham.
• Rice led 47-28 at halftime. The 19-point halftime lead was its largest in a conference game since joining Conference USA.
• Rice connected on 13 three-pointers, the fourth straight game and 12th time this year that it made at least 10 three-pointers.
• Rice shot 52.7% from the floor, the seventh time it shot at least 50.0% this year.
• Rice placed six players in double-figures for the first time since Mar. 20, 2017 against Utah Valley.
• Drew Peterson had team-highs of 17 points and six assists while grabbing five rebounds.
• Quincy Olivari set career-highs with 16 points and four three-pointers.
• Josh Parrish scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds.
• Ako Adams scored 13 points and had three assists.
• Trey Murphy III scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds.
• Robert Martin scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Next Up
Rice closes its road this Saturday, Feb. 8, when it travels to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to face Middle Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by the CUSAtv.
How it Happened
UAB opened the game with a three-pointer. But a Josh Parrish layup sent Rice on an 8-0 run. After another UAB three, Parrish made a layup and Trey Murphy III hit a three. The teams then traded baskets before back-to-back buckets from Murphy and Drew Peterson gave Rice a nine-point lead midway through the first half. An 8-2 UAB run cut the lead to 22-19 before the teams again traded baskets. With Rice holding a 25-22 lead, Ako Adams and Quincy Olivari hit back-to-back three-pointers to push its lead to nine. After a UAB basket, Murphy hit a three-pointer and Olivari scored five straight points to give Rice a 39-24 lead. Two straight baskets cut the lead to 11 with 2:11 remaining. But the Owls stepped up their play. Murphy hit his third three-pointer and then Chris Mullins converted a three-point play and nailed a jumper with two seconds left to send Rice into halftime leading 47-28.
Rice continued its hot shooting in the second half, making its first five shots to outscore the Blazers 13-3 and open up its largest lead of the game, 60-31, just 3:30 into the second stanza. UAB tried to chip away at the deficit, going on a 7-0 run. The teams then went back-and-forth over the next 6:42 before six straight points cut the lead to 71-56 with 5:36 to play. However, the Owls went on an 8-2 run, capped by a three-pointer by Olivari, to put the game away.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"We played outstanding basketball. We were ready to go from the start. The team was really, really locked in on what it was going to take. They're building on what we've done. Now they're starting to take the defense to another level. We really shared the ball with six players in double-figures. Again, that's when we're at our best. That's when we are a dangerous team. I couldn't be prouder of our guys and their growth. They started the second half with a big lead and they weren't satisfied. They were more locked in. It was just an all-around good team win and I'm really proud to get Rice's first win here."
The Stats
Rice connected on 52.7% from the field and 46.4% from three. UAB connected on 52.8% from the floor and 50.0% from behind the arc. Rice was also 15-of-20 from the free throw line while UAB was just 6-of-19. The teams both pulled down 31 rebounds while Rice outscored the Blazers, 21-7, off turnovers.
Notes
• Rice improved to 11-13 on the year and 3-8 in Conference USA.
• Rice improved to 2-14 all-time against UAB and 1-7 in Birmingham.
• Rice led 47-28 at halftime. The 19-point halftime lead was its largest in a conference game since joining Conference USA.
• Rice connected on 13 three-pointers, the fourth straight game and 12th time this year that it made at least 10 three-pointers.
• Rice shot 52.7% from the floor, the seventh time it shot at least 50.0% this year.
• Rice placed six players in double-figures for the first time since Mar. 20, 2017 against Utah Valley.
• Drew Peterson had team-highs of 17 points and six assists while grabbing five rebounds.
• Quincy Olivari set career-highs with 16 points and four three-pointers.
• Josh Parrish scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds.
• Ako Adams scored 13 points and had three assists.
• Trey Murphy III scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds.
• Robert Martin scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Next Up
Rice closes its road this Saturday, Feb. 8, when it travels to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to face Middle Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by the CUSAtv.
Team Stats
RICE
UAB
FG%
.527
.528
3FG%
.464
.500
FT%
.750
.316
RB
31
31
TO
8
14
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
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