Wednesday, November 15
Austin, TX
8 p.m.
Rice University
1-2,0-0AAC
64
at
80
Texas
3-0,0-0Big 12
1
2
F
Rice
32
32
64
Texas
41
39
80
Rice Battles but Falls at No. 19 Texas
11/15/2023 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas — Rice battled No. 19 Texas for most of the game, but the Longhorns hot shooting was too much as the Owls dropped an 80-64 decision Wednesday night from the Moody Center.
The Story
Texas made seven of its first nine shots to take a 17-8 lead, seven minutes into the game. After Noah Shelby drilled a three-pointer, the Longhorns scored five straight to take a 22-11 lead. Andrew Akuchie made a layup, but UT scored five of the next seven points, taking its largest lead of the half, 27-15, with 9:34 to play. Mekhi Mason then hit Akuchie down the lane for a dunk as Rice went on a 12-5 run to pull within 32-27. However, Texas outscored the Owls, 9-5, in the final three minutes as Rice went into halftime trailing, 41-32.
The teams opened the second half trading a pair of baskets. With the Owls down 10, Texas went on a 10-4 run, taking a 56-40 lead. The teams went back-and-forth over the next 2:51, Texas extended the lead to 17. Travis Evee then made a layup and Anthony Selden converted a three-point play that cut the deficit to 12 with 6:22 to play. But Texas pulled away with an 11-3 run, pushing its lead to as many as 20 points.
The Stats
Rice was held to just 38.3% from the field and 18.2% from three. Texas connected on 60.4% from the floor and 45.5% from three. The Longhorns also outrebounded the Owls, 37-to-27.
What Head Coach Scott Pera Had to Say
"Sometimes, it's pretty simple. (Texas) played better. I'll watch the film and make corrections on all of the things that we can do for us to play better, but the better team played better tonight. I think we are capable of playing a game that can beat this team. We didn't do it tonight. The credit is to them. They deserved to win and they outplayed us."
Notes
• This was the 199th meeting between Rice and Texas, the most-played series in school history.
• Rice fell to 59-140 in the series and 20-76 in Austin.
• It was the 14th time that Rice faced a ranked Texas team.
• Anthony Selden led the Owls with 17 points. It was his second double-digit scoring game of the year and the 33rd of his career.
• Travis Evee scored 11 points. It was his third double-figure scoring game of the year and the 76th of his career.
• Mekhi Mason grabbed a team-high six rebounds, tying a season-high.
• Max Fielder led all players with five assists.
Next Up
Rice heads to Henderson, Nev., next week for the Ball Dawgs Classic. The Owls begin the classic on Tuesday, Nov. 21 against Indiana State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed by FloHoops.
The Story
Texas made seven of its first nine shots to take a 17-8 lead, seven minutes into the game. After Noah Shelby drilled a three-pointer, the Longhorns scored five straight to take a 22-11 lead. Andrew Akuchie made a layup, but UT scored five of the next seven points, taking its largest lead of the half, 27-15, with 9:34 to play. Mekhi Mason then hit Akuchie down the lane for a dunk as Rice went on a 12-5 run to pull within 32-27. However, Texas outscored the Owls, 9-5, in the final three minutes as Rice went into halftime trailing, 41-32.
The teams opened the second half trading a pair of baskets. With the Owls down 10, Texas went on a 10-4 run, taking a 56-40 lead. The teams went back-and-forth over the next 2:51, Texas extended the lead to 17. Travis Evee then made a layup and Anthony Selden converted a three-point play that cut the deficit to 12 with 6:22 to play. But Texas pulled away with an 11-3 run, pushing its lead to as many as 20 points.
The Stats
Rice was held to just 38.3% from the field and 18.2% from three. Texas connected on 60.4% from the floor and 45.5% from three. The Longhorns also outrebounded the Owls, 37-to-27.
What Head Coach Scott Pera Had to Say
"Sometimes, it's pretty simple. (Texas) played better. I'll watch the film and make corrections on all of the things that we can do for us to play better, but the better team played better tonight. I think we are capable of playing a game that can beat this team. We didn't do it tonight. The credit is to them. They deserved to win and they outplayed us."
Notes
• This was the 199th meeting between Rice and Texas, the most-played series in school history.
• Rice fell to 59-140 in the series and 20-76 in Austin.
• It was the 14th time that Rice faced a ranked Texas team.
• Anthony Selden led the Owls with 17 points. It was his second double-digit scoring game of the year and the 33rd of his career.
• Travis Evee scored 11 points. It was his third double-figure scoring game of the year and the 76th of his career.
• Mekhi Mason grabbed a team-high six rebounds, tying a season-high.
• Max Fielder led all players with five assists.
Next Up
Rice heads to Henderson, Nev., next week for the Ball Dawgs Classic. The Owls begin the classic on Tuesday, Nov. 21 against Indiana State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed by FloHoops.
Team Stats
Rice
UT
FG%
.383
.604
3FG%
.182
.455
FT%
.875
.545
RB
27
37
TO
9
16
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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