Live Stats

Auburn just beat North Carolina in OT, 86-81. Coastal Carolina lost to Auburn on Tuesday, 84-78.


Rice 15 CCU 12, 2:08 left in Q1.

Mulkey 1-6 from field, Erica 1-4.

Rice 20 CCU 22
5:00 2Q

Unsurprisingly against a good team, we're having trouble scoring. Ogwumike and Mulkey a combined 2-10. Rest of the team just 5-15.

(12-20-2018 09:48 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Unsurprisingly against a good team, we're having trouble scoring. Ogwumike and Mulkey a combined 2-10. Rest of the team just 5-15.

CCU's reatltime RPI is 175, with a loss to a 2-8 Riverside team. They are not that good.

Rice 25 CCU 26
Halftime

(12-20-2018 09:56 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  

(12-20-2018 09:48 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Unsurprisingly against a good team, we're having trouble scoring. Ogwumike and Mulkey a combined 2-10. Rest of the team just 5-15.

CCU's reatltime RPI is 175, with a loss to a 2-8 Riverside team. They are not that good.

Upon further examination, you are most definitely correct. Very average team.

We are struggling mightily in establishing an identity on the court. There seems to be a lot of substitutions and we certainly haven't figured out our best units. After this game is a game against a horrid Incarnate Word team (they were 0-10 at last glance) so that game might give us a chance to work out some different line-up combinations.

Like past years (usually to no avail), I would like us to feature a line-up where we basically press the other team all the time - so I'd recommend a line-up of either Wiggins or Smith, Ogwumike, Grigsby and Rainey - plus 1 tall player back on defense just in case (either Mulkey or Iademarco). The other line-up I'd like to see is the two tall players in at the same time in Mulkey and McCurry for a few minutes just to see how opposing teams can defend that.

But it's clear that we just don't have players who can create their offensive shots against good defensive teams. Coastal Carolina is probably comparable to some CUSA teams - and there are a couple of CUSA teams in UAB, and perhaps ODU, Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech who are better than CCU. Coach Langley has to figure out how to get this team jump-started very quickly or it's going to be a very disappointing season.

And we need to stop worrying about whether Olivia Ogwumike is playing. We have more than enough players without her that are capable of winning CUSA if they start playing better.

44 - 34 Rice at the 0:40 mark of the 3Q. Mulkey has come alive with 12 points and 6 boards, and though Erica is only 1-7 from the field, she has 7 points and 11 boards.

Dominant quarter which was badly needed.

And just like that, CCU back in the game, scoring 10 of the last 12 points, mostly off of Rice turnovers (of which we now have 17). 46 - 44 Rice. Ugh.

(12-20-2018 10:50 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  And just like that, CCU back in the game, scoring 10 of the last 12 points, mostly off of Rice turnovers (of which we now have 17). Ugh.

Now 18 turnovers, 11 of which are from Erica and Grigsby.

(12-20-2018 10:53 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  

(12-20-2018 10:50 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  And just like that, CCU back in the game, scoring 10 of the last 12 points, mostly off of Rice turnovers (of which we now have 17). Ugh.

Now 18 turnovers, 11 of which are from Erica and Grigsby.

20 turnovers..

Rice leads 52-49, under a minute left.

52 - 47 with 1:17 left. Now up to 19 TOs, with CCU collecting 12 steals. Inexcusable. However, if we can hit our free throws down the stretch and guard against the 3, we should close this one out.

(12-20-2018 11:00 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  52 - 47 with 1:17 left. Now up to 19 TOs, with CCU collecting 12 steals. Inexcusable. However, if we can hit our free throws down the stretch and guard against the 3, we should close this one out.

Now up to 20 TOs and 13 steals by CCU. I'm presuming they've been pressing us, and very successfully so.

Rice wins 56-52.

Good win and bounce-back after the UNC loss though. Jasmine Smith appeared to make some big plays down the stretch. Not a great tournament by Erica O. but she'll be fine in the future I'm sure.

As I said earlier, a bit of a breather coming up but then a fairly tough 2-game stretch to begin conference play with road games at USM and La Tech after that. Incarnate Word is on the road too so it's important to remember we only have 5 home games to begin the season and 9 games away from Tudor in that stretch.