Friday, January 15
Houston, TX
2 p.m.
Rice University
-103,41 CUSA
69
vs
59
Old Dominion
-74,32 CUSA
1
2
F
Old Dominion
29
30
59
Rice
42
27
69
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Rice Pulls Away to Defeat Old Dominion, 69-59
1/15/2021 6:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON — Rice saw a 20-point deficit trimmed to six points, but the Owls pulled away in the final 10 minutes to defeat Old Dominion, 69-59, in the first game of the two-game series, Friday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Story
Rice started the game strong, with Riley Abercrombie and Travis Evee hitting threes as Rice grabbed an 8-2 lead. ODU made a three, but back-to-back baskets by Chris Mullins and Max Fiedler gave Rice a 12-5 lead. The Monarchs scored six straight points to pull within one, seven minutes into the game. However, the Owls went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:30 to take a 26-13 lead. After trading baskets, Rice connected on four three-pointers, including three by Quincy Olivari, as it took its largest lead of the game, 42-22, with 3:17 to play. But Rice missed its final four shots of the half while turning the ball over twice as ODU closed the half on a 7-0 run, cutting Rice's lead to 42-29 at halftime.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half. Olivari made a three and Max Fiedler got a layup off his own miss. After an ODU layup, Travis Evee's three-pointer extended Rice's lead to 53-35 just 4:39 into the second stanza. However, the Monarchs chipped away over the next five minutes, going on a 14-2 run to cut the Owl lead to 55-49 with 10:31 to play. But Rice buckled down. Payton Moore hit a three and A.J. Oliver made a pair of free throws. Mullins then scored seven straight points and Evee's fourth three-pointer extended Rice's lead to 68-53 with at the under-four timeout. Old Dominion would get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
The Stats
Rice connected on 36.9% (24-of-65) from the field and 33.3% (14-of-42) from three. Old Dominion was held to 41.7% (23-of-59) from the floor and just 21.1% (4-of-19) from three. Rice outrebounded the Monarchs, 42-to-36 and had 19 assists.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"I'm really proud of our guys. I have tremendous respect for Old Dominion's program. We hadn't beaten them yet, so to get that was a big win for us. As for our guys, just watching their maturity in front of our eyes is a lot of fun. They have a defensive mindset, a defensive approach. I thought they guarded exceptionally well for most of the game. You hold a team to 59 (points), you're going to win 90% of your games. But, most importantly, guys are making plays."
Notes
• Rice improved to 10-3 on the year and 4-1 in Conference USA.
• Rice started 4-1 in conference play for the first time since 2006-07 and just the second time since joining C-USA.
• The Owls improved to 2-10 against Old Dominion. It is their first win at home against the Monarchs in six tries.
• Rice tied a season-high with 14 three-pointers.
• It is the 10th time this year that Rice has connected on at least 10 three-pointers.
• Rice 42 three-point attempts set a new school record.
• Quincy Olivari scored a game-high 23 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season.
• Olivari tied a career-high with seven three-pointers and set a Rice single-game record with 17 three-point attempts.
• Olivari also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
• Chris Mullins scored 14 points, had five rebounds and tied a career-high with six assists.
• Travis Evee scored 14 points.
• Max Fiedler scored grabbed 12 rebounds and tied a career-high with eight assists.
Next Up
The teams will square off again tomorrow at 1 p.m. The game will be livestreamed at ESPN+.
The Story
Rice started the game strong, with Riley Abercrombie and Travis Evee hitting threes as Rice grabbed an 8-2 lead. ODU made a three, but back-to-back baskets by Chris Mullins and Max Fiedler gave Rice a 12-5 lead. The Monarchs scored six straight points to pull within one, seven minutes into the game. However, the Owls went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:30 to take a 26-13 lead. After trading baskets, Rice connected on four three-pointers, including three by Quincy Olivari, as it took its largest lead of the game, 42-22, with 3:17 to play. But Rice missed its final four shots of the half while turning the ball over twice as ODU closed the half on a 7-0 run, cutting Rice's lead to 42-29 at halftime.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half. Olivari made a three and Max Fiedler got a layup off his own miss. After an ODU layup, Travis Evee's three-pointer extended Rice's lead to 53-35 just 4:39 into the second stanza. However, the Monarchs chipped away over the next five minutes, going on a 14-2 run to cut the Owl lead to 55-49 with 10:31 to play. But Rice buckled down. Payton Moore hit a three and A.J. Oliver made a pair of free throws. Mullins then scored seven straight points and Evee's fourth three-pointer extended Rice's lead to 68-53 with at the under-four timeout. Old Dominion would get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
The Stats
Rice connected on 36.9% (24-of-65) from the field and 33.3% (14-of-42) from three. Old Dominion was held to 41.7% (23-of-59) from the floor and just 21.1% (4-of-19) from three. Rice outrebounded the Monarchs, 42-to-36 and had 19 assists.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"I'm really proud of our guys. I have tremendous respect for Old Dominion's program. We hadn't beaten them yet, so to get that was a big win for us. As for our guys, just watching their maturity in front of our eyes is a lot of fun. They have a defensive mindset, a defensive approach. I thought they guarded exceptionally well for most of the game. You hold a team to 59 (points), you're going to win 90% of your games. But, most importantly, guys are making plays."
Notes
• Rice improved to 10-3 on the year and 4-1 in Conference USA.
• Rice started 4-1 in conference play for the first time since 2006-07 and just the second time since joining C-USA.
• The Owls improved to 2-10 against Old Dominion. It is their first win at home against the Monarchs in six tries.
• Rice tied a season-high with 14 three-pointers.
• It is the 10th time this year that Rice has connected on at least 10 three-pointers.
• Rice 42 three-point attempts set a new school record.
• Quincy Olivari scored a game-high 23 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season.
• Olivari tied a career-high with seven three-pointers and set a Rice single-game record with 17 three-point attempts.
• Olivari also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
• Chris Mullins scored 14 points, had five rebounds and tied a career-high with six assists.
• Travis Evee scored 14 points.
• Max Fiedler scored grabbed 12 rebounds and tied a career-high with eight assists.
Next Up
The teams will square off again tomorrow at 1 p.m. The game will be livestreamed at ESPN+.
Team Stats
ODU
RICE
FG%
.418
.369
3FG%
.211
.333
FT%
.750
.583
RB
36
42
TO
13
9
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
7
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
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