McGhee leads Owls over Mustangs
Prior to Wednesday's contest against Southern Methodist University at Autry Court, the last time most followers of Rice basketball had seen their team in person was Dec. 7, when the Owls hosted then-top-ranked University of Kansas. The 83-63 defeat that night left Rice with a 2-3 record.
Much has changed since then. Two nights later, Rice rebounded with a come-from-behind, last-second triumph over a Vanderbilt University team seemingly destined for a top-25 ranking the following week.
The win over the Commodores triggered a run of five consecutive victories.
A loss to the United States Naval Academy on Jan. 4 broke the streak. However, the Owls recovered by upsetting the University of Texas at a game in Austin in a game televised nationally by ESPN -- much like their football brethren had done in 1994.
The break left the Owls disappointed. The Navy game was within the Owls' grasp, as was last Saturday's game with the University of Houston at Autry Court.
Rice jumped to an 18-point lead in the first half but ended up squandering the lead and dropping a 76-74 decision to the Cougars.
Against the Mustangs, the Owls showed this same one-foot-in-the-door-the-other-one-in-the-gutter nature.
Rice had its sluggish stretches but also demonstrated some solid play, particularly on defense, that gives them hope for having a successful Southwest Conference campaign.
The Owls pulled away midway through the first half and held off SMU for a 69-51 victory.
Rice improved to 9-5 overall, 2-1 in the SWC. SMU dropped to 5-9, 1-2.
"We're on track for becoming a very good basketball team," Head Coach Willis Wilson said.
"We need to become a very good team by the end of the month, and by the end of the year, we need to become an excellent team.
"A lot of people probably look at us on paper, and look at the injuries, and don't expect much. I think we have guys with high expectations for themselves and guys who don't put a lot of credence in the things that are said outside our team."
Early in the game against SMU, the Owls looked shaky on offense. With both teams running methodical, half-court sets, the score stood at only 14-13 in favor of Rice at the midpoint of the first half.
The Owls then made their move. Tom McGhee has been the outside-shooting star for Rice so far this year, but it was Eric Singletary who triggered the run with a pair of long-range baskets.
With 9:29 to go in the half, Singletary hit a long two-pointer. After a Shaun Igo inside basket, Singletary connected on a three-pointer from the top of the key, and the Owls were off on a 10-0 run.
McGhee, who had surpassed the 30-point mark in his two previous games, then got into the act.
He added two more three-pointers as part of a 24-point performance, his 10th game this season with 20 points or more.
Singletary added another three-pointer, and Robert Johnson converted a T.J. Armstrong alley-oop into a crowd-pleasing slam dunk as Rice used a 25-3 run to roll to a 39-16 lead late in the first half.
The Owl defense held the Mustangs to 29.6 percent shooting on the half. SMU encountered great resistance inside the paint. Johnson blocked two shots on the night, and Igo added another.
"Tonight, we've had a great defensive effort," center Scott Oliver said. "But that's been the one thing that's helped us win all season long and is a constant of being a good team."
Wilson was pleased with Owl execution at both ends of the court in the first half.
"Our guys came out ready to play on both ends of the floor," Wilson said. "We carried out our game plan and our assignments on both sides of the ball in the first half. Any time we do that, we have a chance to control the tempo. That's a big part of what we do."
Rice expanded the lead to 24 points, 48-24, when McGhee hit two free throws at the 15:42 mark of the second half.
After that, the Owls lost their edge, especially on offense. Several possessions ended on ill-chosen shots.
The Mustangs started hitting some of their shots and cut the gap to 13 with 9:25 to go.
"We forced some things offensively," Wilson said. "Tommy even forced a couple of shots. We have one rule in terms of shooting the basketball.
"When you take a shot, it must come out of our system: fastbreak, early offense, motion or our sets. We break down when guys try to create in the transitional areas, when we don't have an opportunity to anticipate."
The Houston disaster would not be repeated, however. The Owls picked up their defense and hit enough baskets and free throws to secure the victory.
"We converted on some plays in the second half to protect our lead, something that we weren't able to do against Houston," Wilson said.
"We showed a lot of maturity and showed how we learned from the Houston loss."
Playing in his second game after missing four games with a staph infection in his right knee, Igo scored 10 points in 18 minutes.
Igo had rebounded from earlier knee surgery to score 31 points in two straight games in December, only to be sidelined again. According to Wilson, Igo is improving but still is playing at less than top condition.
"Shaun has to get back in shape," Wilson said. "In another game or two, he will start to find his rhythm. He has to get his cardiovascular condition back, which is important for a big man."
Rice continues its SWC slate with a road trip this weekend. The Owls travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M University (8-7 overall, 0-3 in SWC) tomorrow at 5:35 p.m. They then proceed to Fort Worth on Monday for a 7:35 p.m. contest with the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (9-7, 0-3).
Last year the Owls took both games versus A&M and split with TCU.
"Anytime you go on the road, you never know what's going to happen," Wilson said. "We have to understand that both of these games will be in an intense, hostile environment -- a lot of things that we can't control.
"Things that we can control are our attitude and the little things we do in the basketball game. As long as we do little things, we have a chance to survive," he said.
"If you can win on the road, you have a chance to win the championship."
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