Finding ways to win

[randy]

Jan 12, 2012: #6 Rice (16-0, 5-0) @ Southern Methodist (5-9, 1-4)


Tip off

SG David Williams scored 18 of our 1st 20 pts of the game. SF Tim Mason had 9 pts off the bench. I felt that SMU controlled the pace, and somehow slowed down the game. Our penalty situation also contributed in dragging down the pace.


Halftime, Up 35-30


Start of 2nd half

Teams are even during the early part of the 2nd half; we're leading by just 14 (57-43) with 11 mins left. SG David Williams and SF Tim Mason continues to carry our offense; SF Andre McFadden spending more time on the bench due to foul trouble. Our defense stepped up, Williams hitting a couple more 3s, and we're up by 22 with just 3 mins left to guarantee the win.


Final Score: Rice - 79, Southern Methodist - 57


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 45, 5, 3, 8 stls, 8 3s (*)
Mason 15, 7, 0
Piatowski 6, 3, 0
Phillips 6, 3, 0
Fountain 2, 4, 1, 3 stls
McFadden 2, 2, 2, 2 blks, 3 tos
Barker 2, 0, 3
Brown 1, 4, 0
Evans 0, 2, 3
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-41%
REB: -2
TO: -14 (SMU: 20)
Pts in paint: +16
2nd chance: +4
Fast break: +10
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

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

[randy]

Jan 16, 2012: #6 Rice (17-0, 6-0) @ Southern Miss (9-6, 3-3)


Tip off

SMISS shot well at 54% FG. Problem is they committed 14 turn overs, giving us +19 in FG attempts. SG David Williams with 16 pts, and SF Andre McFadden also in double figures with 10 pts.


Halftime, Up 45-34


Start of 2nd half

Game is still relatively close, despite SMISS turning the ball over a lot. SMISS even got our lead down to 6 early in the 2nd half. We were on top, 53-43, with about 11 minutes left when SG David Williams hits 4 triples, and SF Andre McFadden getting a 3 as well, as part of a 25-4 run. SMISS wasn't able to recover after that.


Final Score: Rice - 86, Southern Miss - 63


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 37, 3, 0, 7 stls, 7 3s (*)
McFadden 15, 5, 1, 2 stls
Piatowski 10, 3, 0
Mason 7, 2, 3, 3 stls
Young 5, 1, 0
Phillips 4, 4, 0
Barker 4, 2, 2, 3 tos
Fountain 2, 4, 2
Evans 2, 1, 4
Brown 0, 3, 0
Thomas 0, 0, 1
Johnson 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 46-47%
REB: -5
TO: -22 (SMISS: 31!)
Pts in paint: +18
2nd chance: +1
Fast break: +10
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 7-0 (W7)
2. Memphis, 5-2 (W3)
3. Central Florida, 4-3 (L2)
4. East Carolina, 4-3 (W1)
5. Marshall, 4-3 (L1)
6. Tulane, 4-3 (W1)
7. Southern Miss, 3-4 (L1)
8. Tulsa, 3-4 (L3)
9. Houston, 3-4 (W2)
10. Texas-El Paso, 2-5 (L1)
11. Southern Methodist, 2-5 (W1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-6 (L2)

[randy]

Jan 19, 2012: #14 Memphis (13-4, 5-2) @ #6 Rice (18-0, 7-0)


Tip off

A 1-9 FG start, with SG David Williams going 0-5 FG. Down 6-7, Williams making his presence felt getting at least 4 steals, and that got us a little momentum going with an 15-2 run. It is always a defensive grudge whenever we face MEM, and it is the same today. Key difference in the 1st half was MEM having 8 more turn overs, which gave us a 12-0 advantage in fast break pts. Despite not getting his outside shots to fall, SG David Williams still managed to put up 20 pts.


Halftime, Up 37-24


Start of 2nd half

Both teams guilty of committing costly turn overs at the start of the 2nd half. We're shooting a very poor 5-24 3PT, but MEM is struggling even more with 27% FG.
13:30, Up 44-29

SG David Williams has hit a couple of clutch 3s whenever MEM is just about to start their rally. Williams with 30 pts.
9:55, Up 52-35

We kept a safe distance from MEM, and even extended our lead to 22 with 6 mins remaining. MEM may have defended well our half court game, but had no answers whenever we get the opportunity to run the break. And we got a lot of opportunities to run today, fueled by our 17 steals.


Final Score: Memphis - 54, Rice - 75


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 33, 3, 1, 8 stls, 4 tos, 7 3s (*)
Mason 10, 5, 1, 5 stls, 4 tos
McFadden 9, 6, 1
Piatowski 8, 5, 0
Barker 5, 1, 4
Brown 4, 3, 0
Fountain 2, 7, 2, 2 stls
Phillips 2, 5, 0
Evans 2, 2, 4
Young 0, 1, 1
Thomas 0, 0, 0
Johnson 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 45-34%
REB: +4
TO: -8 (MEM: 24)
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: +8
Fast break: +16
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 8-0 (W8)
2. Central Florida, 5-3 (W1)
3. East Carolina, 5-3 (W2)
4. Memphis, 5-3 (L1)
5. Marshall, 5-3 (W1)
6. Tulane, 5-3 (W2)
7. Southern Miss, 4-4 (W1)
8. Tulsa, 3-5 (L4)
9. Houston, 3-5 (L1)
10. Texas-El Paso, 2-6 (L2)
11. Southern Methodist, 2-6 (L1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-7 (L3)

[randy]

Jan 23, 2012: #6 Rice (19-0, 8-0) @ Houston (8-9, 3-5)


Tip off

Our 11 1st half turn overs is a bigger issue than our 38% FG shooting. SG David Williams' 17 pts the only reason we're ahead, barely.


Halftime, Up 32-31


Start of 2nd half

Both teams are actually very sloppy taking care of the ball; 12 combined turn overs in less than 7 mins of play in the 2nd half
13:22, Up 45-43

We're getting some of our shots to fall in more frequently now
9:58, Up 55-47

HOU making a rally, including making their last 2 shots from beyond the arc. I bring back SG David Williams after a short rest.
5:34, Up 60-57

C Brent Phillips got a offensive putback to go in. Up 5. We had a series of good stops, including a block by Phillips, and a steal by SG David Williams who then throws an outlet pass to Phillips to increase our lead to 9. Just as when we have some momentum going, we turned the ball over twice, and both times HOU able to score on the break. TImeout
2:25, Up 64-61

RICE: SG David Williams missed.
HOU: Throws the ball away. Turn over #26
RICE: SF Andre McFadden missed a 3. He is 2-12 FG today
HOU: C Reed Clayton hits a side jumper (11 pts). Timeout
1:20, Up 64-63

RICE: SG David Williams at the top of the key. Goes closer. Williams' jumper is good (28 pts)! Timeout HOU
0:55, Up 66-63

HOU: Anotehr turn over on a bad pass. 27 turn overs.
RICE: SG David Williams missed a 3. Timeout HOU
0:30, Up 66-63

HOU: A steal by SG David Williams (9 stls).
RICE: I shouted instructions to slow down. HOU gives up a foul, but it's only their 2nd team foul. HOU with 5 more fouls, and they're in the penalty. 1-and-1 for PG Jovan Barker. He just needs 1 to make this a 2 possession game. He makes the important 1st. And also the 2nd. Up 5.

HOU got a 3 to go, but it took them almost all the time left. We were able to get a good inbound, and ran away for the win. A close one. 48 combined turn overs; we just happened to commit a little less


Final Score: Rice - 68, Houston - 66


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 28, 5, 6, 9 stls, 4 tos, 4 3s (*)
Phillips 11, 7, 0
Fountain 6, 8, 1
McFadden 4, 4, 2, 3 tos
Mason 4, 4, 1
Piatowski 4, 3, 0
Johnson 4, 1, 1
Evans 3, 0, 3, 6 tos
Barker 2, 0, 1, 3 tos
Brown 2, 0, 0
Thomas 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 41-54%
REB: +7
TO: -8 (HOU: 28)
Pts in paint: +14
2nd chance: +12
Fast break: +10
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 9-0 (W9)
2. Memphis, 6-3 (W1)
3. Marshall, 6-3 (W2)
4. Central Florida, 6-3 (W2)
5. East Carolina, 5-4 (L1)
6. Southern Miss, 5-4 (W2)
7. Tulane, 5-4 (L1)
8. Tulsa, 4-5 (W1)
9. Houston, 3-6 (L2)
10. Texas-El Paso, 2-7 (L3)
11. Southern Methodist, 2-7 (L2)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-8 (L4)

[randy]

Jan 26, 2012: East Carolina (10-8, 5-4) @ #6 Rice (20-0, 9-0)


Tip off

We'e in some sort of a slight shooting slump the past 3 games including today at 38% FG. We made it up by attacking the rim, and go to the line, 15-19 FT. We also forced ECAR to 10 turn overs.


Halftime, Up 43-35


Start of 2nd half

9 pts and 3 stls all in less than 2 mins by SG David Williams, which was part of an 11-0 run, and we're suddenly ahead by 19. That run boosted our confidence, and our shots were falling with more regularity the rest of the game


Final Score: East Carolina - 75, Rice - 92


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 26, 5, 2, 5 stls, 4 3s (*)
McFadden 21, 5, 1, 3 stls, 3 3s
Phillips 10, 8, 0
Piatowski 9, 3, 0
Mason 9, 2, 0
Fountain 7, 8, 0
Brown 6, 2, 0
Evans 2, 1, 5, 2 stls
Barker 2, 1, 2
Johnson 0, 0, 1
Young 0, 0, 0
Thomas 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 48-47%
REB: +5
TO: -12 (ECAR: 20)
Pts in paint: +22
2nd chance: -4
Fast break: +8
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 10-0 (W10)
2. Central Florida, 7-3 (W3)
3. Southern Miss, 6-4 (W3)
4. Memphis, 6-4 (L1)
5. Marshall, 6-4 (L1)
6. Tulane, 6-4 (W1)
7. East Carolina, 5-5 (L2)
8. Tulsa, 4-6 (L1)
9. Houston, 4-6 (W1)
10. Texas-El Paso, 3-7 (W1)
11. Southern Methodist, 2-8 (L3)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-9 (L5)

[randy]

Jan 30, 2012: Central Florida (11-8, 7-3) @ #5 Rice (21-0, 10-0)


Tip off

UCF hitting their shots early but they can't sustain it, ending up shooting just 36% FG in the 1st half. We dominated the boards 22-12, and 2nd chance scoring 10-0. We could use some improvement on FT shooting though, just 8-15 FT.


Halftime, Up 45-26


Start of 2nd half

We didn't get too many chances to run the ball today, but we got a lot of production from our half court sets. Good job in controlling the boards

Bad news though, as SG David Williams is suffering from a sprained toe, and will be out 2 weeks.


Final Score: Central Florida - 54, Rice - 92


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 29, 5, 2, 7 3s (*)
Fountain 14, 9, 0, 6-7 FG
Phillips 14, 8, 2, 2 stls, 7-8 FG
McFadden 11, 8, 1, 4 tos
Mason 4, 5, 6
Piatowski 4, 2, 0
Brown 4, 2, 0
Young 4, 1, 1
Evans 3, 1, 8
Johnson 3, 1, 1
Barker 2, 2, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 55-34%
REB: +20 (+9 off)
TO: -3
Pts in paint: +34
2nd chance: +14
Fast break: +14
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 11-0 (W11)
2. Memphis, 7-4 (W1)
3. Central Florida, 7-4 (L1)
4. Southern Miss, 7-4 (W4)
5. Marshall, 7-4 (W1)
6. Tulane, 7-4 (W2)
7. East Carolina, 6-5 (W1)
8. Tulsa, 4-7 (L2)
9. Houston, 4-7 (L1)
10. Texas-El Paso, 3-8 (L1)
11. Southern Methodist, 2-9 (L4)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-10 (L6)

[randy]

Feb 2, 2012: #5 Rice (22-0, 11-0) @ Tulsa (8-12, 4-7)


Tip off

Our outside shooting certainly not the same without SG David Williams, but our half court defense was very solid. At one point, TUL was just 1-17 FG (that lone FG was on transition). TUL finished the 1st half shooting 29% FG, 9 turn overs. SF Andre MacFadden lead all scorers with 14 pts.


Halftime, Up 36-21


Start of 2nd half

TULSA got some outside shots to fall early in the 2nd half, and our lead was cut to 10. We quickly recovered, and got our lead back up to 19. We pretty much kept that safe distance from TULSA the rest of the way. A lot of players contributed on offense.


Final Score: Rice - 72, Tulsa - 56


Box Scores
[INDENT]McFadden 16, 5, 1
Fountain 15, 10, 2, 2 stls (*)
Mason 13, 7, 0, 3 tos
Piatowski 8, 2, 0
Barker 6, 1, 2, 2 stls
Young 6, 1, 1
Evans 5, 1, 3
Brown 3, 1, 2
Phillips 0, 4, 6
Thomas 0, 0, 0
Johnson 0, 0, 0
Richard 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-37%
REB: Even
TO: -10 (TULSA: 21)
Pts in paint: +28
2nd chance: +8
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 12-0 (W12)
2. Marshall, 8-4 (W2)
3. Central Florida, 7-5 (L2)
4. East Carolina, 7-5 (W2)
5. Southern Miss, 7-5 (L1)
6. Tulane, 7-5 (L1)
7. Memphis, 7-5 (L1)
8. Houston, 5-7 (W1)
9. Texas-El Paso, 4-8 (W1)
10. Tulsa, 4-8 (L3)
11. Southern Methodist, 3-9 (W1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-11 (L7)

[randy]

Feb 6, 2012: #3 Rice (23-0, 12-0) @ Alabama-Birmingham (5-16, 1-11)


Tip off

We couldn't generate enough turn overs on UAB to compensate for our 43% FG shooting, hence the low scoring game. UAB shot worse at 28% FG, including 0-8 3PT


Halftime, Up 32-19


Start of 2nd half

We called for more inside plays to generate higher-percentage shots. We had some success, and pushed our lead up to 21 with 14 mins left. Our big men were dominant not just inside scoring, but also in rebounding. SF Tim Mason with a solid all around performance. And C Scott Fountain with his 2nd consecutive best player award.


Final Score: Rice - 74, Alabama-Birmingham - 50


Box Scores
[INDENT]Fountain 17, 8, 0, 2 stls (*)
Piatowski 14, 8, 0
Mason 10, 11, 5, 2 blks
McFadden 10, 3, 3
Barker 8, 2, 0
Young 6, 4, 3
Brown 4, 3, 1
Evans 3, 1, 3
Phillips 2, 3, 0
Thomas 0, 0, 0
Johnson 0, 0, 0
Richard 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 48-38%
REB: +19 (+9 off)
TO: -2
Pts in paint: +28
2nd chance: +14 (14-0)
Fast break: +14
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 13-0 (W13)
2. Marshall, 8-5 (L1)
3. East Carolina, 8-5 (W3)
4. Tulane, 8-5 (W1)
5. Memphis, 8-5 (W1)
6. Central Florida, 7-6 (L3)
7. Southern Miss, 7-6 (L2)
8. Tulsa, 5-8 (W1)
9. Houston, 5-8 (L1)
10. Texas-El Paso, 5-8 (W2)
11. Southern Methodist, 3-10 (L1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-12 (L8)

[randy]

Feb 9, 2012: Texas-El Paso (6-16, 5-8) @ #3 Rice (24-0, 13-0)


Tip off

Started the game shooting 9-10 FG, and our offense was very consistent the entire 1st half. UTEP finished 26% FG, with 16 turn overs.


Halftime, Up 49-17


Start of 2nd half

Our tenacity on defense didn't drop off at the start of the 2nd half, going on a 15-0 run. A huge blowout, but more importantly, a breakout performance by SF Tim Mason.


Final Score: Texas-El Paso - 42, Rice - 89


Box Scores
[INDENT]Mason 28, 5, 5, 8 stls (*)
McFadden 17, 3, 3, 3 3s
Young 12, 0, 2
Piatowski 10, 12, 0
Brown 7, 4, 0
Fountain 6, 4, 0
Evans 4, 0, 7
Barker 3, 3, 3, fouled out
Phillips 2, 2, 0
Richard 0, 0, 1
Thomas 0, 1, 0
Johnson 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 59-25%
REB: +14
TO: -12 (UTEP: 25)
Pts in paint: +40
2nd chance: +4
Fast break: +16
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 14-0 (W14)
2. Marshall, 9-5 (W1)
3. Tulane, 9-5 (W2)
4. East Carolina, 8-6 (L1)
5. Southern Miss, 8-6 (W1)
6. Memphis, 8-6 (L1)
7. Central Florida, 7-7 (L4)
8. Tulsa, 6-8 (W2)
9. Houston, 6-8 (W1)
10. Texas-El Paso, 5-9 (L1)
11. Southern Methodist, 3-11 (L2)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-13 (L9)

[randy]

Feb 13, 2012: Tulane (15-8, 9-5) @ #3 Rice (25-0, 14-0)


Tip off

SG David Williams still slightly injured, but he's suited up to play. SF Tim Mason also nursing a slight injury, but he'll play as well. I will just try to manage their minutes.

Started out flat offensively. But it was a complete turn around that last 10 mins of the 1st half. Williams (21 pts, 3 triples) started making his outside shots, we got our running game going, and we got a good performance off the bench from C Brent Phillips (10 pts, 4 rebs)


Halftime, Up 45-29


Start of 2nd half

Both teams struggling to make shots, which meant we keep our double digit lead
11:33, Up 55-41

SG David Williams gets back-to-back 3s, and just like that we're up 20. We led by as many as 26. TUL tried to stage a late rally, trimming our lead to 13, but with just over a minute left. We forced TUL to 2 turn overs, which ended any remaining hope on their part.


Final Score: Tulane - 63, Rice - 81


Box Scores
[INDENT]Williams 39, 2, 0, 2 stls, 9 3s (*)
Phillips 12, 6, 1
McFadden 11, 7, 5, 2 blks
Piatowski 8, 8, 1
Fountain 4, 4, 0
Evans 3, 3, 2
Mason 2, 6, 3
Brown 2, 1, 1, 2 stls, 4 tos
Barker 0, 1, 8
Thomas 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 47-38%
REB: +9
TO: -3
Pts in paint: +14
2nd chance: +2
Fast break: +15
[/INDENT]


CUSA Standings

1. Rice, 15-0 (W15)
2. Marshall, 10-5 (W2)
3. Southern Miss, 9-6 (W2)
4. Tulane, 9-6 (L1)
5. Memphis, 9-6 (W1)
6. East Carolina, 8-7 (L2)
7. Houston, 7-8 (W2)
8. Central Florida, 7-8 (L5)
9. Tulsa, 6-9 (L1)
10. Texas-El Paso, 5-10 (L2)
11. Southern Methodist, 4-11 (W1)
12. Alabama-Birmingham, 1-14 (L10)