Finding ways to win

[randy]

Dec 30, 2010: #14 Rice (12-0, 1-0) @ Alabama-Birmingham (5-5, 0-1)


Tip off

We missed quite a number of shot at point blank range, which to us shooting just 38% FG. However, UAB fared worse with 23% FG. Still a relatively close game. SG David Williams leads all scorers with 12 pts


Halftime, Up 36-23


Start of 2nd half

Those are good looks inside that we keep on missing. We even missed 7 FTs already. With the way we're playing good defense, this game should have been over already, but UAB remains within striking distance
10:56, Up 51-36

2 consecutive 3s by SG David Williams extended our lead to 20. We continued the run with 6 more pts, and outcome of the game was decided at the point.


Final Score: Rice - 78, Alabama-Birmingham - 46


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 28, 7, 1, 5 stls, 6-17 3PT (*)
Harper 12, 11, 1, 2 stls, 2 blks
Brown 10, 9, 0
Johnson 8, 2, 2
McFadden 7, 3, 2, 3 stls
Piatowski 6, 2, 0
Tiggs 5, 4, 0
Young 2, 0, 1
Barker 0, 4, 2, 3 tos
Fountain 0, 3, 0
Phillips 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 40-28%
REB: +18 (+11 off)
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: +10
Fast break: +11
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Tulsa 2-0 (W2)
2. Southern Miss, 2-0 (W2)
3. Rice, 2-0 (W2)
4. Central Florida, 1-1 (L1)
5. Marshall, 1-1 (L1)
6. Houston, 1-1 (W1)
7. Texas-El Paso, 1-1 (W1)
8. Memphis, 1-1 (L1)
9. Southern Methodist, 1-1 (W1)
10. Alabama-Birmingham, 0-2 (L2)
11. East Carolina, 0-2 (L2)
12. Tulane, 0-2 (L2)

[randy]

Jan 3, 2011: Texas-El Paso (6-5, 1-1) @ #13 Rice (13-0, 2-0)


Tip off

We scored 16 fast break pts in the 1st half. At one sequence, C Curtis Harper had 3 consecutive steals, and 3 consecutive outlet passes in transition. SG David Williams with 17 pts (3 triples), and SF Ross Brown contributed 10 pts.


Halftime, Up 52-29


Start of 2nd half

A little bit of life in UTEP's offense in the 2nd half, but all it did was to get as close to 15 pts with a minute remaining. Because of all the extra possessions we had, we're +28 in FG attempts.


Final Score: Texas-El Paso - 68, Rice - 85


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 30, 4, 1, 4 stls, 3 blks (*)
Brown 14, 6, 3
Harper 13, 10, 4, 3 stls
Piatowski 12, 6, 1
Tiggs 8, 6, 0
McFadden 2, 3, 2
Fountain 2, 3, 0
Barker 2, 1, 3
Johnson 2, 0, 3
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-51%
REB: +11 (+15 off)
TO: -13 (UTEP: 22)
Pts in paint: +28
2nd chance: +8
Fast break: +19 (28-9)
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 3-0 (W3)
2. Central Florida, 2-1 (W1)
3. Marshall, 2-1 (W1)
4. Memphis, 2-1 (W1)
5. Tulsa 2-1 (L1)
6. Southern Miss, 2-1 (L1)
7. Houston, 1-2 (L1)
8. Southern Methodist, 1-2 (L1)
9. East Carolina, 1-2 (W1)
10. Tulane, 1-2 (W1)
11. Texas-El Paso, 1-2 (L1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 0-3 (L3)

[randy]

Jan 6, 2011: Tulane (7-5, 1-2) @ #13 Rice (14-0, 3-0)


Tip off

We had 7 steals in the 1st half, 4 coming in the 1st 3 mins. We established a 27 pt lead with more than 9 mins remaining. TUL came back as our turn overs pile up, plus we didn't shoot well from the outside (1-8 3PT)


Halftime, Up 34-24


Start of 2nd half

TUL scored the 1st 5 pts of the 2nd half, and we're just up by 5 (a 22 pt turn around by TUL). We woke just in time with a 15-2 run to reestablish a 18 pt lead. TUL never came close after that. SG David Williams scored 21 of his 26 pts in the 2nd half. C Curtis Harper was perfect from the fuield, 11-11 FG!


Final Score: Tulane - 64, Rice - 84


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 26, 4, 3, 6 stls, 4 tos (*)
Harper 24, 11, 1, 11-11 FG
McFadden 8, 4, 1
Brown 6, 7, 1
Piatowski 6, 4, 1
Fountain 6, 3, 0
Evans 4, 1, 6, 2 stls
Tiggs 2, 4, 1
Phillips 2, 3, 0
Barker 0, 1, 5
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-41%
REB: +18 (+6 off)
TO: -7
Pts in paint: +36
2nd chance: +7
Fast break: +10
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 4-0 (W4)
2. Central Florida, 3-1 (W2)
3. Marshall, 3-1 (W2)
4. Memphis, 3-1 (W2)
5. Houston, 2-2 (W1)
6. Tulsa 2-2 (L2)
7. Southern Miss, 2-2 (L2)
8. Texas-El Paso, 2-2 (W1)
9. Southern Methodist, 1-3 (L2)
10. East Carolina, 1-3 (L1)
11. Tulane, 1-3 (L1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 0-4 (L4)

[randy]

Jan 10, 2011: #7 Rice (15-0, 4-0) @ Marshall (9-5, 3-1)


Tip off

SG David Williams picked up 3 early fouls, to the delight of the MARS home crowd. But it made no difference as we got balanced scoring from just about everyone who played, led by SF Ross Brown's 12 pts. MARS shot just 32% FG


Halftime, Up 41-27


Start of 2nd half

Bench scoring heavily in our favor, 37-13, with SF Andre McFadden leading all scorers with 17 pts
10:29, Up 63-45

SG David Williams fouled out with more than 9 mins to go. MARS got a little bit of momentum, and has come to within 12 pts. We then put up an 11-0 run to go up by 23, and took the fight our of MARS. A satisfying road win against the team that has given us 6 losses the past 4 seasons


Final Score: Rice - 84, Marshall - 58


Box Scores
[INDENT]McFadden 17, 1, 0
Brown 14, 4, 3, 4 blks
Piatowski 12, 8, 1
Harper 11, 11, 1, 4 blks (*)
Young 8, 1, 2
Williams 8, 0, 2, fouled out
Tiggs 6, 5, 1
Barker 4, 1, 7, 3 tos
Evans 3, 2, 5
Fountain 1, 1, 0
Phillips 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 50-30%
REB: +3
TO: -6
Pts in paint: +24
2nd chance: +1
Fast break: +5
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 5-0 (W5)
2. Central Florida, 4-1 (W3)
3. Memphis, 4-1 (W3)
4. Marshall, 3-2 (L1)
5. Southern Miss, 3-2 (W1)
6. Texas-El Paso, 3-2 (W2)
7. Houston, 2-3 (L1)
8. Tulsa 2-3 (L3)
9. Southern Methodist, 2-3 (W1)
10. East Carolina, 1-4 (L2)
11. Tulane, 1-4 (L2)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 0-5 (L5)

[randy]

Jan 13, 2011: Southern Methodist (6-8, 2-3) @ #7 Rice (16-0, 5-0)


Tip off

Less than 8 mins have been played, and SG David Williams already 14 pts. Williams was almost impossible to stop, finishing the 1st half with 23 pts. SMU has shot the ball well at the start, making 8 of their 1st 11 shots. Our defense improved, SMU started missing shots, and that is when we broke this game wide open. We had 11 steals in the 1st half


Halftime, Up 53-27


Start of 2nd half

SMU's offense was in disarray right from the beginning of the 2nd half, and they finished the game with 26 turn overs.


Final Score: Southern Methodist - 50, Rice - 91


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 29, 7, 1, 5 stls (*)
McFadden 18, 3, 2
Harper 16, 9, 1, 3 stls, 2 blks
Brown 12, 5, 1
Fountain 8, 1, 0
Evans 2, 3, 6, 2 stls
Tiggs 2, 2, 0
Piatowski 2, 2, 0
Phillips 2, 2, 0
Barker 0, 2, 9
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 51-42%
REB: +17 (+8 off)
TO: -18 (SMU: 26)
Pts in paint: +40
2nd chance: +12
Fast break: +22 (26-4)
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 6-0 (W6)
2. Memphis, 5-1 (W4)
3. Central Florida, 4-2 (L1)
4. Marshall, 4-2 (W1)
5. Southern Miss, 4-2 (W2)
6. Texas-El Paso, 3-3 (L1)
7. East Carolina, 2-4 (W1)
8. Houston, 2-4 (L2)
9. Tulsa 2-4 (L4)
10. Southern Methodist, 2-4 (L1)
11. Tulane, 1-5 (L3)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-5 (W1)

[randy]

Jan 17, 2011: Southern Miss (7-8, 4-2) @ #5 Rice (17-0, 6-0)


Tip off

As expected, SMISS would try to make this game a trackfest. Probably not a good idea for them, as we have better athletes and a deeper bench. SG David Williams loves to play in this type of games, and he responded with 20 pts


Halftime, Up 57-35


Start of 2nd half

2nd half was devoid of any defense, as both teams were scoring at will. Best offensive performance by any of our opponents so far this season, but we still won comfortably


Final Score: Southern Miss - 80, Rice - 101


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 39, 0, 2, 6 stls (*)
Brown 16, 6, 1
Harper 14, 8, 2, 2 stls
McFadden 12, 5, 0, 4 tos
Fountain 10, 4, 0
Barker 4, 2, 8
Evans 2, 3, 6
Piatowski 2, 3, 2, 2 stls
Tiggs 2, 1, 2
Phillips 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 57-52%
REB: +8
TO: -9
Pts in paint: +24
2nd chance: +4
Fast break: +19
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 7-0 (W7)
2. Central Florida, 5-2 (W1)
3. Marshall, 5-2 (W2)
4. Memphis, 5-2 (L1)
5. Southern Miss, 4-3 (L1)
6. East Carolina, 3-4 (W2)
7. Houston, 3-4 (W1)
8. Texas-El Paso, 3-4 (L2)
9. Southern Methodist, 3-4 (W1)
10. Tulsa 2-5 (L5)
11. Tulane, 1-6 (L4)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-6 (L1)

[randy]

Jan 20, 2011: #5 Rice (18-0, 7-0) @ #11 Memphis (13-5, 5-2)


Tip off

A big test for us. Some are saying this could be the only remaining obstacle towards an undefeated regular season

Always a defensive grudge match every time we face MEM, and today was no different. The game is turning out to be a battle between the 2 best guards in the conference, SG David Williams (20 pts, 6 3s) and MEM's Ryan Watson (18 pts, 4 3s). The other players have struggled to make shots. We must find a way to get others involved, as Williams took 23 of our 38 FG attempts.


Halftime, Up 29-24


Start of 2nd half

We mixed in some zone defense during the 1st half. We switched to m2m defense full time, in order to stop MEM's PG Ryan Watson. Just over 4 minutes have gone by and we're now in the penalty. SG David Williams just picked up his 4th foul, but not before he connected in 3 straight triples. Williams will to sit down for a while. We have no choice but to go back to a 3-2 zone
15:38, Up 43-31

William's absence meant we lacked the needed outside sniper to break MEM's 2-3 zone. MEM took advantage and were to cut our lead to 3. But back-to-back triples by seldom-used SG Jimmy Young put us back ahead by 9. We committed a string of turn overs, and MEM is starting to creep back again
8:57, Up 52-46

We couldn't hold back MEM, as PG Ryan Watson (28 pts) scored 5 straight pts for them to take the lead. Timeout
7:03, Down 52-53

I took a gamble and brought back SG David Williams (29 pts, 4 fouls). Immediately, Williams made back-to-back 3s! Teams traded turn overs. MEM even missed 2 FTs.
4:48, up 58-53

Another foul on us. This time, MEM makes both FTs. Up 3. SG David Williams had 2 offensive rebounds on our next play, he finally made a basket on the 2nd try. Williams (37 pts) has scored our last 8 pts. Up 5. MEM's PG Ryan Watson made a bad pass, and we scored on the break.
3:30, Up 60-53

Another turn over by MEM. C Curtis Harper goes inside and scores! Up 9. MEM quickly getting a FG. Up 7. SG David Williams fakes a 3, goes closer, and buries a long jumper! Up 9. We're playing good defense on MEM's PG Ryan Watson, and he can't get a shot. However, MEM's SG David Wolff got a lucky bounce on his shot and scores. Up 7. Williams electing to drive on our next play. He got called for steps. MEM with a counter turn over. But Williams missed on the return play. On MEM's next possession, Watson missed a 3. But MEM got the offensive rebound. Block by C Curtis Harper, but they get the ball back and scores! We need a timeout
0:51, Up 66-61

MEM not yet in the penalty. Sensing that we are planning to use up as many time as possible, MEM fouled 4 straight times to get into the penalty. Earlier, I put in PG Jovan Barker into the 2 spot replacing SG David Williams. Barker is a good FT shooter. But Barker missed the front end! Timeout MEM
0:29, Up 66-61

MEM's SG David Wolff buries a 3! Timeout
0:20, Up 66-64

MEM fouled PG Brent Evans quickly. Evans is coreless and this is his 1st trip to the line. Makes the important 1st. And also the 2nd. Whew! Timeout MEM.
0:18, Up 68-64

We gave up a foul. MEM to shoot 2. They hit both. Timeout
0:10, Up 68-66

We need to make sure we get a good inbound play. We did. And PG Brent Evans able to elude MEM defenders and dribble the time away. What a game! We got rebounded, outrun, missed a lot of shots, but able to escape with a gritty win. MEM's PG Ryan Watson finished with 28 pts


Final Score: Rice - 68, Memphis - 66


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 39, 5, 1, 2 stls, 11-26 3PT, 5 tos (*)
Harper 12, 7, 0, 2 stls
Young 6, 0, 1, 4 tos
McFadden 5, 3, 0, 4 tos
Piatowski 2, 6, 0
Brown 2, 5, 0, 2 blks
Evans 2, 0, 7
Tiggs 0, 3, 0
Barker 0, 1, 3
Fountain 0, 1, 0
Richard 0, 0,0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 38-40%
REB: -3
TO: -2
Pts in paint: Even
2nd chance: -2
Fast break: -6
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 8-0 (W8)
2. Central Florida, 6-2 (W2)
3. Marshall, 5-3 (L1)
4. Memphis, 5-3 (L2)
5. East Carolina, 4-4 (W3)
6. Houston, 4-4 (W2)
7. Southern Methodist, 4-4 (W2)
8. Southern Miss, 4-4 (L2)
9. Texas-El Paso, 3-5 (L3)
10. Tulsa 3-5 (W1)
11. Tulane, 1-7 (L5)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-7 (L2)

[randy]

Jan 24, 2011: Houston (10-8, 4-4) @ #4 Rice (19-0, 8-0)


Tip off

Both teams didn't shoot well. We only got to a double digit lead during the last 6 mins of the 1st half, where SG David Williams scored 9 pts on 3 triples. Williams finished 14 pts (4 3s). We also took advantage of our 7 steals leading to some easy fast break pts


Halftime, Up 33-21


Start of 2nd half

We started the 2nd half with a 10-2 run, and our defense for the rest of the game was consistent, not allowing HOU to make any significant run. The production of 2 players, SG David Williams and SF Ross Brown, was enough to outscore HOU


Final Score: Houston - 43, Rice - 81


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 32, 3, 0, 3 stls, 3 blks, 3 tos, 8-15 3PT (*)
Brown 22, 10, 3, 3 tos
Fountain 8, 4, 1, 2 stls
Piatowski 6, 9, 1
Evans 3, 1, 4
Johnson 3, 0, 0
McFadden 2, 7, 2, stls
Phillips 2, 3, 0
Barker 2, 1, 1, 2 stls
Harper 1, 5, 0, 2 blks
Tiggs 0, 1, 0
Young 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 50-29%
REB: +5
TO: -7
Pts in paint: +14
2nd chance: Even
Fast break: +8
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 9-0 (W9)
2. Central Florida, 7-2 (W3)
3. Memphis, 6-3 (W1)
4. Marshall, 5-4 (L2)
5. Southern Miss, 5-4 (W1)
6. East Carolina, 5-4 (W4)
7. Houston, 4-5 (L1)
8. Southern Methodist, 4-5 (L1)
9. Texas-El Paso, 3-6 (L4)
10. Tulsa 3-6 (L1)
11. Alabama-Birmingham, 2-7 (W1)
12. Tulane, 1-8 (L6)

[randy]

Jan 27, 2011: #4 Rice (20-0, 9-0) @ East Carolina (9-9, 5-4)


Tip off

We gave up 18 fast break pts to ECAR, an allowed them to stay close. We got most of our scoring from inside the paint, where our big men dominated led by C Curtis Harper with 13 pts.


Halftime, Up 45-35
Our transition defense needs to get better in the 2nd half. ECAR is a dangerous team, on a 4-game win streak.


Start of 2nd half

4 of our 1st 5 FGs were from beyond the arc, as we increased our lead to 19. We maintained our comfortable the rest of the way. We limited ECAR to only 6 fast break pts in the 2nd half, after getting 19 during the 1st


Final Score: Rice - 85, East Carolina - 72


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 25, 4, 0, 5 stls, 5-13 3PT (*)
McFadden 20, 3, 1, 3-5 FG
Harper 15, 7, 0
Fountain 8, 2, 0
Brown 6, 5, 4
Piatowski 6, 3, 0
Tiggs 4, 1, 0
Evans 1, 0, 3, 3 tos
Barker 0, 3, 6
Phillips 0, 2, 0
Johnson 0, 1, 1
Young 0, 0, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-42%
REB: -2
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +16
2nd chance: +2
Fast break: -5
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 10-0 (W10)
2. Central Florida, 8-2 (W4)
3. Memphis, 6-4 (L1)
4. Southern Miss, 6-4 (W2)
5. East Carolina, 5-5 (L1)
6. Houston, 5-5 (W1)
7. Marshall, 5-5 (L3)
8. Texas-El Paso, 4-6 (W1)
9. Southern Methodist, 4-6 (L2)
10. Tulsa 3-7 (L2)
11. Tulane, 2-8 (W1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 2-8 (L1)

[randy]

Jan 31, 2011: #5 Rice (21-0, 10-0) @ Central Florida (15-4, 8-2)


Tip off

How can you get ahead shooting just 26% FG? By limiting your opponents to 20% FG, and that what happened during the 1st half. UCF's strategy is to play a very slow game in order to contain our high octane offense. Almost all of our pts came from offensive rebounds, and transition. SG David Williams with only 5 pts on 2-13 FG.


Halftime, Up 21-14


Start of 2nd half

After UCF scored the 1st basket of the game, we went on a 9-2 run (7 by SF Ross Brown). A double digit lead in this type of a game seems to be a luxury already. SG David Williams hit 3 straight triples. More importantly, we are controlling the pace of the game making it faster.
9:23, Up 45-28

UCF to make a mini-rally and cut our lead to 12. But our next 9-0 run to lead by 21, virtually ended any hopes for UCF.


Final Score: Rice - 67, Central Florida - 46


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 27, 2, 1, 3 stls (*)
Brown 12, 11, 1, 2 blks
Harper 11, 13, 0, 6 blks
Fountain 8, 5, 0
Johnson 5, 1, 3
Piatowski 2, 6, 0
McFadden 2, 2, 1
Tiggs 0, 6, 1
Young 0, 1, 0
Evans 0, 0, 3
Barker 0, 0, 0, 3 tos
Phillips 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 38-33%
REB: +19 (+12 off)
TO: -4
Pts in paint: +12
2nd chance: +15 (17-2)
Fast break: +14
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 11-0 (W11)
2. Central Florida, 8-3 (L1)
3. Memphis, 7-4 (W1)
4. Southern Miss, 7-4 (W3)
5. Houston, 6-5 (W2)
6. Marshall, 6-5 (W1)
7. Southern Methodist, 5-6 (W1)
8. East Carolina, 5-6 (L2)
9. Texas-El Paso, 4-7 (L1)
10. Tulsa 3-8 (L3)
11. Tulane, 2-9 (L1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 2-9 (L2)