Rice Owls Soar Past Mustangs in a Close Encounter at Tudor Fieldhouse

The Rice Owls and the Mustangs faced off in a tightly contested match that ended with the home team, the Rice Owls, securing a victory with a final score of 69-60. The Owls' season record now stands at an impressive 10-2, while the Mustangs fall to 8-4.

In front of an enthusiastic crowd at Tudor Fieldhouse, the Rice Owls demonstrated their resilience and teamwork. The game was marked by several lead changes and both teams were tied seven times throughout the contest, indicating how closely matched they were. However, it was ultimately the home team's superior shooting accuracy that made the difference.

The Rice Owls showcased their offensive skills by shooting 44 percent from the field compared to SMU's 39 percent. Their precision was even more evident from within the arc where they shot an impressive 51 percent on two-point attempts. Additionally, they made four out of sixteen three-point attempts which contributed significantly to their scoring tally.

Assists played a crucial role in this game as well; with twenty-one assists credited to them, it's clear that teamwork is central to their gameplay. This figure overshadowed SMU's ten assists for this encounter. Furthermore, turnovers were relatively low for such a high-pressure game; twelve for Rice against fourteen for SMU.

Defensively speaking, both teams showed prowess on court with nine steals for Rice and six for SMU respectively – evidence of tight defensive plays throughout this matchup. Rebounding also proved pivotal; The Owls managed thirty-nine rebounds (thirty defensive and eight offensive), slightly edging out SMU who had thirty-six (twenty-three defensive and ten offensive).

One area where SMU did excel was points in paint – scoring forty-two against Rice’s thirty – but it wasn’t enough to secure them victory on this occasion.

Looking ahead after this hard-fought win at home, fans can catch The Rice Owls next when they take on Florida Atlantic University away from home at FAU Arena located in Boca Raton FL on February 3rd at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Followers unable to attend can tune into live coverage of what promises to be another exciting matchup between these competitive teams.