Saturday, November 9
Houston, TX
6 p.m.
Rice University
1-1,0-0AAC
65
vs
73
Florida State
2-0,0-0ACC
1
2
F
Florida St.
33
40
73
Rice
23
42
65
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Rice Battles in Tough Loss to Florida State
11/9/2024 11:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON – Rice battled for most of the game, but an 11-1 Florida State run late in the second half led to a 73-65 defeat, Saturday night at the Toyota Center in the MattressFirm Battleground 2k24.
The Story
The game began as a back-and-forth affair. The teams traded baskets before FSU scored two straight. But Kellen Amos hit a three to make it 8-7. With the Seminoles leading 11-10, they went on a 7-0 run to take an 18-10 lead. But layups by Jacob Dar and Trey Patterson cut the deficit in half. Over the next 3:04, they went back-and-forth. However, with 8:08 to play and Florida State leading 24-20, both teams began to struggle from the floor, as neither team scored over the next 4:09. FSU made one of two free throws and Justin Thomas hit a three. Andrew Akuchie made one of two free throws. But five straight FSU free throws gave it its largest lead of the half before a Jimmy Oladokun, Jr. layup sent the Owls into halftime trailing, 33-23.
Rice started out hot in the second half, going on a 9-0 run behind a pair of three-pointers by Alem Huseinovic and one from Trae Broadnax to pull within one. FSU scored six of the next seven points before Huseinovic hit his third straight three. After trading baskets, Rice scored on five straight free throws to pull within three, but a 9-3 run pushed Florida State's lead to 55-46. Caden Powell scored three straight and an Amos dunk brought the Owls to within 55-51 with 7:18 remaining. But Rice missed its next eight shots, as the Seminoles used an 11-1 run over the next 4:14 to take its largest lead of the game at 66-52. The Owls got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.
The Stats
Rice was held to 35.8% from the field, and 32.0% from three. Florida State connected on 42.6% from the floor but just 26.3% from three. Rice also outrebounded the Seminoles, 39-to-36.
What Head Coach Rob Lanier Had to Say
"I thought it was a competitive game against a good and really well-coached team. They present some unique challenges with their length and athleticism. We put ourselves in the position where there was a chance for us to really turn the game in our favor. In those moments where we needed to be a little bit tougher. We needed to tighten up on defense and play a little bit more physical and determined. We just didn't have that level of competitive juice when it mattered most. But, they got a chance to see what that feels like, collectively, as a group. Those moments that come up every game where you really have to rely on one another. That frame of reference will serve us well as we move forward."
Notes
• This was the eighth meeting between Rice and Florida State.
• Rice fell to 2-6 in the series, including 0-2 at neutral sites.
• 11 players saw action for the Owls with nine playing at least 10 minutes.
• Ten players scored for the Owls.
• Alem Huseinovic led Rice with 14 points and four three-pointers.
• Kellen Amos scored a season-high 12 points.
• Trae Broadnax scored 10 points, his second straight double-figure scoring game, and led the game with three assists.
• Broadnax also grabbed six rebounds.
• Jimmy Oladokun, Jr. grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Next Up
Rice returns to Tudor Fieldhouse for a pair of games, beginning next Tuesday, Nov. 12, when it hosts Louisiana-Monroe. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed at ESPN+.
The Story
The game began as a back-and-forth affair. The teams traded baskets before FSU scored two straight. But Kellen Amos hit a three to make it 8-7. With the Seminoles leading 11-10, they went on a 7-0 run to take an 18-10 lead. But layups by Jacob Dar and Trey Patterson cut the deficit in half. Over the next 3:04, they went back-and-forth. However, with 8:08 to play and Florida State leading 24-20, both teams began to struggle from the floor, as neither team scored over the next 4:09. FSU made one of two free throws and Justin Thomas hit a three. Andrew Akuchie made one of two free throws. But five straight FSU free throws gave it its largest lead of the half before a Jimmy Oladokun, Jr. layup sent the Owls into halftime trailing, 33-23.
Rice started out hot in the second half, going on a 9-0 run behind a pair of three-pointers by Alem Huseinovic and one from Trae Broadnax to pull within one. FSU scored six of the next seven points before Huseinovic hit his third straight three. After trading baskets, Rice scored on five straight free throws to pull within three, but a 9-3 run pushed Florida State's lead to 55-46. Caden Powell scored three straight and an Amos dunk brought the Owls to within 55-51 with 7:18 remaining. But Rice missed its next eight shots, as the Seminoles used an 11-1 run over the next 4:14 to take its largest lead of the game at 66-52. The Owls got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.
The Stats
Rice was held to 35.8% from the field, and 32.0% from three. Florida State connected on 42.6% from the floor but just 26.3% from three. Rice also outrebounded the Seminoles, 39-to-36.
What Head Coach Rob Lanier Had to Say
"I thought it was a competitive game against a good and really well-coached team. They present some unique challenges with their length and athleticism. We put ourselves in the position where there was a chance for us to really turn the game in our favor. In those moments where we needed to be a little bit tougher. We needed to tighten up on defense and play a little bit more physical and determined. We just didn't have that level of competitive juice when it mattered most. But, they got a chance to see what that feels like, collectively, as a group. Those moments that come up every game where you really have to rely on one another. That frame of reference will serve us well as we move forward."
Notes
• This was the eighth meeting between Rice and Florida State.
• Rice fell to 2-6 in the series, including 0-2 at neutral sites.
• 11 players saw action for the Owls with nine playing at least 10 minutes.
• Ten players scored for the Owls.
• Alem Huseinovic led Rice with 14 points and four three-pointers.
• Kellen Amos scored a season-high 12 points.
• Trae Broadnax scored 10 points, his second straight double-figure scoring game, and led the game with three assists.
• Broadnax also grabbed six rebounds.
• Jimmy Oladokun, Jr. grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Next Up
Rice returns to Tudor Fieldhouse for a pair of games, beginning next Tuesday, Nov. 12, when it hosts Louisiana-Monroe. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed at ESPN+.
Team Stats
FSU
Rice
FG%
.426
.358
3FG%
.263
.320
FT%
.647
.613
RB
36
39
TO
13
17
STL
9
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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