Men’s Hoops Hosts Pepperdine in 2021-22 Opener

HOUSTON — Rice opens the 2021-22 regular season this Tuesday, Nov. 9, when it hosts CBI Champion Pepperdine. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be livestreamed at ESPN+.

Game 1
What: Rice vs. Pepperdine
When: Tuesday, November 9 at 7 p.m.
Where: Houston, Texas
Stadium: Tudor Fieldhouse (5,208)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: Pepperdine leads 2-1 (Rice leads 1-0 in Houston)

Scouting Rice
• Rice begins the 2021-22 campaign after defeating St. Edward's, 85-71, in its lone exhibition.
• The Owls return 10 letterwinners and all five starters from last year's squad that finished 15-13 overall and 6-10 in Conference USA.
• Rice brings back its top five scorers and top six rebounders from last year.
• Preseason All-Conference USA honoree Quincy Olivari returns after earning Third Team All-CUSA last year. He led the Owls with 16.3 points per game, good for eighth in Conference USA. He led the league in three-point field goal percentage (40.9%) and three-point field goals made per game (3.1) and is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore guard Travis Evee was named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year last year after placing second on the team with 13.7 points per game. He finished second in C-USA in three-point field goals made per game (2.9) and three-point field goal percentage (39.6%). He also led the team with 1.2 steals per game.
• Sophomore forward Max Fiedler averaged nearly a double-double, scoring 11.2 points per game while pulling down 8.8 rebounds per game, good for second in the conference. He set a school single-season record for field goal percentage, connecting on 67.5% from the field while placing third in Conference USA in double-doubles (8), eighth in assists per game (3.6) and 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
• Junior guard Chris Mullins averaged 10.4 points per game while redshirt sophomore forward Riley Abercrombie added 7.5 points per game and was third on the team with 3.8 rebounds per game.
• Head coach Scott Pera begins his fifth season leading the Rice men's basketball program. He holds a record of 50-73.
• Rice added five newcomers to this year's team, which include three freshmen and two graduate transfers.
• The three freshmen include guard Jaden Geron (Fresno, Calif.), guard Jackson Peakes (Houston, Texas) and forward Damion McDowell, Jr. (Inglewood, Calif.). Also joining the team are graduate transfer guards Terrance McBride (Lynwood, Calif./Cornell) and Carl Pierre (Boston, Mass./Massachusetts).

Scouting Pepperdine
• Pepperdine enters the 2021-22 campaign after finishing 15-12 and 7-6 in the West Coast Conference. The Waves finished the year as the College Basketball Invitational champions.
• Pepperdine will bring back eight returners from last year's squad, led by junior forward Jan Zidek, who averaged 9.4 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game while connecting on 35.9% from three.
• Redshirt senior guard Jade' Smith was fourth on the team with 8.4 points per game.
• Senior center Victor Ohia Obioha is Pepperdine's leading returning rebounder, pulling down 4.2 boards last season.
• Head coach Lorenzo Romar begins his fourth season and seventh overall leading the Pepperdine men's basketball program, where he holds an 89-90 (.497) record. He holds a record of 438-330 (.570) in 24 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

Rice-Pepperdine Series History
• Rice and Pepperdine will meet for just the third time and first since 1981.
• Pepperdine leads the series, 2-1.
• The teams first met in 1945 in the All-College Tournament with the Waves taking a 48-35 decision.
• They then met for the only time in Houston in 1950 with the Owls earning a 68-65 victory in overtime.
• It would be over 30 years before they met again, this time in 1981 with Pepperdine earning the win, 77-64, in Malibu.

Rice vs. the West Coast Conference
• When the Owls face Pepperdine, it will be the 18th meeting against the West Coast Conference.
•Rice is 9-8 all-time against the WCC.
•This is the first meeting against the WCC since falling to BYU in 2018.

Next Up
• Rice will stay in town for its first road game when it heads to No. 14/15 Houston this Friday, Nov. 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be livestreamed at ESPN+.

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