Golden Hurricane Edges Past Owls in a Nail-Biter at Tudor Fieldhouse
The Rice Owls and the Golden Hurricane clashed in a closely contested battle that ended with the visitors narrowly outscoring the home team, 85-83. The Owls now stand with an overall record of 0-1, while the Golden Hurricane moves to 1-0.
At Tudor Fieldhouse, fans witnessed a game that was as intense as it was competitive. The Rice Owls showcased their tenacity throughout the match. Despite trailing by five points at halftime with a score of 31-36, they surged back in the second half to put up an impressive 52 points. However, this comeback fell just short against Tulsa's consistent scoring drive.
The Owls' offense was spearheaded by their remarkable assist count of 23, which underscored their collaborative effort on court. Their defensive prowess was also on display as they managed to steal the ball from their opponents on ten occasions. Yet it wasn't enough to secure victory against a determined Tulsa team.
Tulsa's performance was marked by high efficiency from both inside and beyond the arc; they shot an impressive 62 percent for two-pointers and maintained a solid three-point completion rate at 48 percent. Their fast-paced game resulted in them accumulating 21 fast break points.
On individual statistics for Rice, there were notable performances including significant contributions from players who fought hard under pressure to keep turnovers low – only committing thirteen compared to Tulsa's sixteen – and maximizing opportunities created from these turnovers by scoring twenty-four points off them.
Rebounding played a crucial role in this tight contest; while both teams grabbed thirty personal rebounds each, Rice managed six more total rebounds than Tulsa with thirty-six compared to thirty-one for their opponents. This included ten offensive boards which led directly to thirteen second-chance points for Rice.
Despite these efforts and leading twice during play along with tying twice more times, it wasn't enough as Tulsa capitalized on critical moments better than Rice did – particularly evident through their higher field goal percentage of fifty-five percent compared to forty-four percent for Rice.
Looking ahead after this heartbreaker at home, fans can mark their calendars for another chance at victory when the Rice Owls face off against Memphis Tigers at FedExForum in Memphis on January 31st at 7:00 PM CT. This upcoming game will be available for viewing online via ESPN+.