Rice Owls Narrowly Outscored at Tudor Fieldhouse by Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
In a closely contested match at Tudor Fieldhouse, the Rice Owls faced off against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, culminating in an intense overtime showdown. The final score read 88-82 in favor of the visiting team. The Rice Owls now stand with a record of 0-1, while the Bulldogs improve to 1-0.
The game was marked by several lead changes and both teams were tied eleven times throughout the contest, indicating a tightly matched battle on court. The Rice Owls showcased their long-range shooting skills with a three-point shooting percentage of 43 percent, making twelve out of twenty-eight attempts from beyond the arc. From two-point range, they shot at 41 percent with twelve makes out of twenty-nine attempts.
The home team's free throw accuracy was notable as well; they made twenty-two out of thirty free throws which translates to a solid 73 percent completion rate. Despite this effort from the charity stripe and having more total rebounds than their opponents with thirty-eight to thirty-five, it wasn't enough to secure victory.
Offensively for the Rice Owls, assists were distributed effectively with seventeen in total compared to eighteen by Louisiana Tech. However, turnovers proved costly for them as they gave up fourteen possessions against ten steals by their opponents.
Defensively speaking, Rice managed five steals and blocked three shots but allowed forty-two points in paint to Louisiana Tech who demonstrated strong interior play. The Bulldogs also capitalized on fast break opportunities scoring eleven fast break points over eight by the home team.
Louisiana Tech's field goal percentage stood at an efficient 52 percent overall and an impressive forty percent from three-point land. Their two-point field goal percentage was even higher at nearly fifty-nine percent which contributed significantly to their offensive output along with nineteen points scored during overtime play.
Looking ahead for fans of the Rice Owls: The next game is set against Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston on January 11th starting at 7:00 PM Central Time Zone. This upcoming match can be watched live on ESPN+, providing another opportunity for supporters to rally behind their team as they seek redemption after this hard-fought contest.