When junior guard Travis Evee’s shot from near half-court found the net at the buzzer to send their game against Louisiana Tech University on Thursday night into overtime, Rice men’s basketball head coach Scott Pera said he thought his team had been given new life.
The start of the new year did not go according to plan for the Rice women’s basketball as they fell on Thursday to Louisiana Tech University 79-74. In their fourth Conference USA matchup this season, the Owls fell behind early, and their second half comeback fell short, dropping them to 1-3 in conference play. Following the loss, head coach Lindsay Edmonds said she was disappointed with the Owls’ early deficit, which proved too much to overcome.
Even as we took some time off during winter break, artists were still hard at work releasing notable new albums. In the tradition of past summer break music recaps published by the Thresher, below are three albums from the recess that shouldn’t be missed.
My expectations for “M3GAN” were cautiously optimistic despite its overdone premise. I thought “M3GAN” was going to be a campy horror movie with cheap jumpscares and even cheesier lines, ultimately performing within a typical January box office. Prior to booking my tickets, however, I did note that the critical reviews for the film were, shockingly, quite good.
One classic musical has captured the hearts of audiences for ages: “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The show covers the last few weeks of Jesus Christ’s life as shown through the eyes of Judas and merges musical theater with rock classics. Recently, the Thresher got to meet with cast member Colin Roberston to talk about the show’s upcoming run. Robertson plays Peter, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, and is also part of the general ensemble. The touring production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” will be coming to the Hobby Center Jan. 17-22, and tickets start at $35.
The Moody Center for the Arts is kicking off the semester with a new installment to celebrate the next generation of international artists at the forefront of fiber arts. With works from a selection of 21 artists, the art in this exhibition conveys a multitude of contemporary issues through innovative fiber-based media. Although some artists don’t have a background in fiber-based media, they’ve come together through their own artistic journeys and processes to shape and mold the impact of their contribution to “Narrative Threads.” Ultimately, the exhibition offers new perspectives on this medium, as the works span from small-scale, intimate thread drawings to sculptural installations.
Student Association elections at Rice routinely garner little attention, often struggling to break 25% turnout, which the Thresher and years of SA representatives have called problematic for the health of our student government. With the recently proposed election timeline cutting campaigning to just one week, we’re worried this year we might manage to reach a new low.
A choice, by definition, must be between two or more possibilities. As I read about Rice’s Reproductive Health Working Group in the Thresher’s Nov. 30 Special Project, I’m struck by the fact that only one response to student pregnancy was presented. Reproductive health is not limited to contraceptives and abortions, but also includes prenatal, postnatal and maternal care and it is critical that the RHWG include these elements in their priorities. For Rice to be pro-choice means that it supports students regardless of their choice, and while some might choose to procure an abortion, others may choose to keep their child.
Rice University professor Megan Reiter and her colleagues discovered a previously undetected cluster of newborn stars some 7,500 light years away from Earth. The discovery, published in the December issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, was made possible through observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Rice emeritus trustee Dr. Huda Zoghbi is a co-recipient of the 2022 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. She and her colleagues received this award for the discovery of genes involved in serious brain disorders.
Quarterback JT Daniels, a former five-star recruit who has started 29 games across stints with the University of Southern California, University of Georgia and West Virginia University, will transfer to Rice. Daniels joins an incoming class that ranks No. 80 in the NCAA according to 247Sports’s composite rankings, as of the start of the early signing period on Wednesday. According to head coach Mike Bloomgren, Daniels is one of the best quarterbacks he’s ever recruited going back to his time as offensive coordinator at Stanford University.
Rice’s 38-24 loss to the University of Southern Mississippi in the LendingTree Bowl on Saturday was listed on ESPN as NCAA Football: Rice vs. Southern Miss. But according to the Owls’ head coach Mike Bloomgren, the broadcast could have just as easily had a different name. “The Frank Gore [Jr.] show,” Bloomgren said. “We know how impressive Frank is, what a great athlete, what a great runner he is, and I thought he was phenomenal.”
In honor of Rice’s first bowl game appearance in eight years, we’ve collected predictions from our staff and one very presidential guest.
Late in the first half of Monday night's game against the No. 7 seed University of Texas, it looked like Rice volleyball might not be the only Owls to defeat a top-ranked Texas team. Up 33-23 with under two minutes remaining in the first half, the Rice men’s basketball team looked poised for their first win over a top-10 opponent in 40 years. That dream was for naught, as the Longhorns won a tight overtime battle, 87-81. After the game, head coach Scott Pera said he was disappointed in the outcome but proud of his players and their fight.
Mike Bloomgren will return next season for his sixth as the head coach of Rice football, an athletic department official confirmed Saturday. While Bloomgren’s initial five-year contract was set to expire this year, the official said that he is under contract for the upcoming year after signing an extension in 2020. The total length of the extension is unknown.
Rice volleyball’s season came to a close on Friday, as the No. 5 seed Owls lost a five set thriller to No. 4 seed Baylor University in the second round of the NCAA tournament (25-16, 22-25, 23-25, 25-14, 11-15). The loss ended the Owls tournament run and hopes at their first Sweet Sixteen berth in program history. After the game, head coach Genny Volpe was proud of her team despite the loss.
It might not have been how they planned it, but Rice football is going to a bowl game. The Owls will take on the University of Southern Mississippi in the LendingTree Bowl, in Mobile, Alabama on Dec. 17. After finishing the season 5-7, one win shy of the mark needed to secure eligibility, Rice got an invite anyway when not enough teams reached six wins to fill every bowl game. The Owls topped all five-win teams in the tiebreaker, an academic performance metric called Academic Progress Rate.
In the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament, the No. 5 seed Rice defeated the University of Colorado Boulder in four sets to advance to the second round. After the 3-1 victory, head coach Genny Volpe was thrilled with the team's win against a tough opponent.
