Rice Owls Outpaced by Tulane Green Wave in High-Scoring Affair

The Rice Owls faced a challenging contest against the Tulane Green Wave, concluding with a score of 84-59. The Owls now stand with an overall season record of 0-1, while the Green Wave boasts a record of 1-0.

In their recent matchup at Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans, the Rice Owls were unable to keep pace with the Tulane Green Wave's robust offense. The home team capitalized on their scoring opportunities, ending the first half ahead with 37 points and extending their lead by adding another 47 in the second half. Conversely, the Owls accumulated 24 points in the initial half and improved to add another 35 after halftime but fell short of mounting a successful comeback.

The Rice team's shooting from beyond the arc was not as effective as they would have hoped; they made eight out of thirty-two three-point attempts, translating to a twenty-five percent success rate. From two-point range, they managed to convert eleven out of twenty-eight shots for a thirty-nine percent shooting performance. However, one bright spot was their free throw accuracy where they excelled with an eighty-seven percent completion rate by making thirteen out of fifteen attempts.

Despite these efforts, turnovers proved costly for Rice as they gave up possession fourteen times throughout the game which led to thirteen points off turnovers for Tulane. The assist-to-turnover ratio stood at 0.85 for Rice indicating more turnovers than assists which is an area that would require attention moving forward.

On defense, both teams recorded four blocks each but it was steals where Tulane showed dominance by taking away possession ten times compared to five by Rice. In terms of rebounds, Rice gathered thirty-three compared to thirty-eight by Tulane which included seventeen defensive boards and nine offensive rebounds for Rice.

Looking ahead after this tough outing on foreign courts against conference rivals will be crucial for regrouping and strategizing before facing future opponents.

The next challenge awaiting them will be against UTSA Roadrunners back at home at Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center in Houston on January 6th at 2:00 PM local time (Central Time). Fans eager to support can tune into ESPN+ online network where live coverage will be broadcasted ensuring supporters won't miss any action from this upcoming encounter.