Rice Holds Off Prairie View A&M, 70-62

POSTED: December 1, 2022 -- 8:40 a.m. CST

HOUSTON, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse) -- The Rice Owls men's basketball team improved to 5-0 at home with a 70-62 come-from-behind win over the Prairie View A&M Panthers Wednesday night.

"This is becoming a weird habit that we need to break in getting down at halftime and fighting back," Scott Pera, Rice Owls Head Coach said after the game. "But again, it says a couple of things. One, about the leadership of our team. The growth of the program to win with defense and rebounding against a very good rebounding team."

Rice has started 5-0 at home for the first time since starting 6-0 in 2011-12.

Rice guard Quincy Olivari scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to help the Owls erase a 48-37 deficit and earn the win. Olivari also set career-highs by going 11-of-14 from the free throw line and recording four steals.

Sophomore guard / forward Cameron Sheffield grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds to guide the Owls to a 37-26 rebounding advantage.

The game was tied at 10 with 12:45 to go in the first half. Prairie View scored 4 straight points and the Owls' offense went scoreless for two minutes. Rice trailed 24-18 before Olivari made 2 foul shots which began a 6-0 burst to tie the game at 24.

The Panthers (4-4 overall) finished the half with an 8-1 spurt to lead the Owls 32-25 at halftime. Rice shot 33.3 fg% (7 for 21) in the first half; however, the Owls attempted 15 foul shots and made 11 (73.3 ft%).

Rice shot 0 for 7 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.

The Owls (5-2) missed 3 more three-point attempts in the second half before Olivari made a 3 to trim Rice's largest deficit of the game (40-28) to nine (40-31) with 14:18 remaining in the ball game. Olivari then converted a three-point play to bring the Owls within 6 (40-34).

Prairie View answered with an 8-3 run to lead by 11 (48-37) with 11:33 on the clock.

Olivari scored 5 points as part of a 9-2 Rice run to climb within 4 (50-46). After Prairie View's Braden Bell got a dunk, Rice guard Travis Evee nailed back-to-back three-point shots to tie the game at 52.

The game was tied at 54 before Olivari made 2 free throws for a 56-54 Rice lead which was the Owls' first lead of the game since leading 7-6 with 15:59 remaining in the first half.

Rice big man Max Fiedler made 2 more free throws to increase Rice's lead to 58-54. Prairie View's Trajan Wesley sank 2 foul shots to cut Rice's lead to 58-56. Olivari knocked down a jumper to boost Rice's lead to 60-56.

Prairie View didn't get closer than 3 points in the closing minutes of the game.

Rice attempted 34 free throws (made 26) compared to 18 free throws attempts for Prairie View. The Owls also outscored the Panthers 18-3 in fast break points.

The field goal shooting reversed for the two teams in the second half. Prairie View shot 50.0 fg% in the first half but only 34.6 fg% in the second half while Rice shot 33.3 fg% in the first half and 48.1 fg% in the second half.

The Owls improve to 8-0 in head-to-head matchups against the Panthers.

"Our guys got going offensively as well," Coach Pera said. "I'm very happy to win. Prairie View A&M is a very good team and I'm proud of our guys.”

NEXT:

Rice's next game is Sunday, December 4, on the road against Texas State. Tip is set for 2 p.m., on ESPN+

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