Men's Basketball falls to Memphis, 77-51

By Ryan Glassman     1/16/13 6:00pm

After a loss in the league opener last Wednesday, the Rice Owls men's basketball team traveled to Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday for its first Conference USA road game of the season.

Led by senior guard and leading scorer Tamir Jackson, the Owls (3-12, 0-2) jumped out to a 33-26 lead at the half, shooting eight for 13 from the 3-point line in the first 20 minutes while assisting on eight of their first 10 baskets. Rice held off the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane (10-7, 2-1) for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Tulsa chipped away before taking the lead on a pair of free throws with under eight minutes left. The Owls reclaimed the lead on free throws from sophomore Seth Gearhart with 5:57 left but were held to just one field goal over the remainder of the game. Tulsa pulled away for a 67-51 victory in spite of a strong effort from Jackson, who lead the way with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists.

After an even disparity at the free-throw line at halftime, Tulsa went 20 for 23 from the stripe in the second half, utilizing its size advantage after intermission to wear down Rice's interior defense. The Owls were out-rebounded 22-7 in the second half, allowing Tulsa to win in the game's final minutes.

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"This game was a building block for us," Head Coach Ben Braun said after the defeat. "I thought we came out aggressive. If we could have closed the disparity at the free-throw line, I think we would really have had a good chance to win."

Rice then hosted the University of Memphis (13-3, 3-0) on Wednesday night. Memphis is the top team in the conference, with trips to the NCAA Tournament in eight of the past 10 years. The Owls took a two-point lead with under five minutes left in the first half but entered the break trailing 31-24 after a Tigers run. Memphis took control in the second half, pounding the ball inside and getting easy looks at the rim against the undersized Owls. The visitors went 15 for 22 from the field in the second half, outscoring Rice 30-14 in the paint en route to a 77-51 victory. Junior Austin Ramljak led the Owls with 14 points, while freshman guard Max Guercy added 13 points.

 "In the second half, [I] give Memphis credit," Braun said. "They went inside. They made a concerted effort to go to the basket. They had quite a size advantage on us ... Even though our guards battled hard, that created a margin for them."

Rice hosts the University of New Orleans tomorrow at 7 p.m. in its final non-conference game of the year before heading east on Wednesday for a league game at the University of Central Florida.

 

Recruiting Update

 

Over the holiday season, Braun announced the addition of a fifth member to his 2013-14 recruiting class; 6-foot-9-inch forward Sean Obi from Green Farms Academy in Connecticut.

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 32 center in his class, the native of Nigeria led the nation last season with 20 rebounds per game. The addition of Obi, now the most highly-touted member of the class, will provide a post presence for a team that currently stands last in the C-USA in rebounding.

Obi joins a group of four more high school seniors that Braun brought in during the early signing period. Leading that group is Drew Bender, a small forward from Phoenix, Ariz., praised for his shooting ability and competitiveness at the high school level. Marcus Jackson, the lone guard in the group, brings from Los Angeles a lethal jump shot and a wiry frame with room to add some weight. Also headed to Rice is 6-foot-11-inch Andrew Drone from Illinois, a large body on the block with raw offensive skills and plenty of upside. The fifth member of the group is Denzel Davis, a 6-foot-8-inch power forward from Orlando, Fla., with great length and the ability to play on the wing.

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