Sunday, March 19
Daytona Beach, FL
12 p.m.
Rice University
19-15
84
vs
78
Duquesne
20-13
1
2
F
Duquesne
32
46
78
Rice
37
47
84
Hot Shooting Propels Rice to 84-78 Win over Duquesne in First Round of CBI
3/19/2023 4:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Quincy Olivari scored 19 points, all in the second half, and Rice shot 57.1% from the field to defeat fifth-seed Duquesne, 84-78, in the first round of the Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational, Sunday afternoon from the Daytona Beach Ocean Center.
The Story
After Duquesne opened the scoring, Travis Evee hit a three and Mekhi Mason made a layup. After trading baskets, the Owls took an 11-7 lead on a Jake Lieppert jumper and two Evee free throws. But the Dukes went on a 10-2 run to take a 17-13 lead. The Owls tied it at 17 before Tevin Brewer hit a three for Duquesne. But Rice forced five DU turnovers as it went on an 18-2 run, taking its largest lead at 35-22 with 2:29 to play in the half. Duquesne responded with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to three, but Evee hit a jumper at the buzzer to send Rice into halftime with a 37-32 lead.
Duquesne opened the half on an 8-2 run to take the lead. With the game tied at 43, Olivari scored 14 straight points for the Owls. However, the teams traded 12-6 runs as the Dukes led, 58-57. The Owls got baskets by Evee and Fiedler to retake the lead. After Duquesne cut the deficit to two, Jake Lieppert hit Max Fiedler for a layup as the Owls went on a 14-5 run, taking its largest lead of the half at 78-67, with 1:39 to play. The Owls sealed the victory at the line, making four-of six from the charity stripe.
What Head Coach Scott Pera Had to Say
"It was a great program win. I'm really proud of the guys in their preparation and their desire to want to play well and beat a really good Duquesne team. We went out and really played well out of the gate. We held off their runs and ended up with a really, really good win. I'm just proud of our guys."
The Stats
Rice connected on 57.1% (32-of-56) from the field but just 29.4% (5-of-17) from three. Duquesne was held to 41.9% (26-of-62) from the floor but 38.9% (14-of-36) from three. Rice was outrebounded, 32-to-31.
Notes
• Rice and Duquesne met for eighth time and the first since 2008.
• Rice improves to 7-14 all-time in postseason play and 2-2 in the CBI.
• Rice connected on 57.1% from the floor, the 10th time it hit at least 50.0% this season.
• Rice set postseason records for field goals made (32) and field goal percentage (57.1%).
• With 15 assists, Rice set the school single-season record with 523.
• G Quincy Olivari scored a team-high 19 points and tied a game-high with seven rebounds.
• Olivari moved into fifth-place on Rice's single-season scoring list with 640 points, passing Michael Harris (2004-05), Egor Koulechov (2016-17), and Torrey Andrews (1993-94).
• G Travis Evee scored 17 points and had three assists.
• F Max Fiedler scored 16 points on eight-of-nine shooting and tied a game-high with seven rebounds.
• With three assists, Fiedler passed Lorenzo Williams (2005-06) for second-place on Rice's single-season list with 171.
• G Mekhi Mason tied a game-high with four assists and a career-high with four steals.
• The four steals also tied Rice's postseason record.
• G Jake Lieppert scored a season-high nine points and had three rebounds.
Next Up
Rice advances to the quarterfinals of the CBI, tomorrow, Mar. 20, against fourth-seed Southern Utah. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be streamed by FloHoops.
The Story
After Duquesne opened the scoring, Travis Evee hit a three and Mekhi Mason made a layup. After trading baskets, the Owls took an 11-7 lead on a Jake Lieppert jumper and two Evee free throws. But the Dukes went on a 10-2 run to take a 17-13 lead. The Owls tied it at 17 before Tevin Brewer hit a three for Duquesne. But Rice forced five DU turnovers as it went on an 18-2 run, taking its largest lead at 35-22 with 2:29 to play in the half. Duquesne responded with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to three, but Evee hit a jumper at the buzzer to send Rice into halftime with a 37-32 lead.
Duquesne opened the half on an 8-2 run to take the lead. With the game tied at 43, Olivari scored 14 straight points for the Owls. However, the teams traded 12-6 runs as the Dukes led, 58-57. The Owls got baskets by Evee and Fiedler to retake the lead. After Duquesne cut the deficit to two, Jake Lieppert hit Max Fiedler for a layup as the Owls went on a 14-5 run, taking its largest lead of the half at 78-67, with 1:39 to play. The Owls sealed the victory at the line, making four-of six from the charity stripe.
What Head Coach Scott Pera Had to Say
"It was a great program win. I'm really proud of the guys in their preparation and their desire to want to play well and beat a really good Duquesne team. We went out and really played well out of the gate. We held off their runs and ended up with a really, really good win. I'm just proud of our guys."
The Stats
Rice connected on 57.1% (32-of-56) from the field but just 29.4% (5-of-17) from three. Duquesne was held to 41.9% (26-of-62) from the floor but 38.9% (14-of-36) from three. Rice was outrebounded, 32-to-31.
Notes
• Rice and Duquesne met for eighth time and the first since 2008.
• Rice improves to 7-14 all-time in postseason play and 2-2 in the CBI.
• Rice connected on 57.1% from the floor, the 10th time it hit at least 50.0% this season.
• Rice set postseason records for field goals made (32) and field goal percentage (57.1%).
• With 15 assists, Rice set the school single-season record with 523.
• G Quincy Olivari scored a team-high 19 points and tied a game-high with seven rebounds.
• Olivari moved into fifth-place on Rice's single-season scoring list with 640 points, passing Michael Harris (2004-05), Egor Koulechov (2016-17), and Torrey Andrews (1993-94).
• G Travis Evee scored 17 points and had three assists.
• F Max Fiedler scored 16 points on eight-of-nine shooting and tied a game-high with seven rebounds.
• With three assists, Fiedler passed Lorenzo Williams (2005-06) for second-place on Rice's single-season list with 171.
• G Mekhi Mason tied a game-high with four assists and a career-high with four steals.
• The four steals also tied Rice's postseason record.
• G Jake Lieppert scored a season-high nine points and had three rebounds.
Next Up
Rice advances to the quarterfinals of the CBI, tomorrow, Mar. 20, against fourth-seed Southern Utah. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be streamed by FloHoops.
Team Stats
DUQUESNE
RICE
FG%
.419
.571
3FG%
.389
.294
FT%
.923
.714
RB
32
31
TO
14
11
STL
1
10
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
16
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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/ Men's BasketballG
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