Second-half surge lifts Owls over Bears
Perhaps a week's convalescence was all that the men's basketball team needed.
Given seven days off to regroup following dreary road-court losses to Texas A&M University and Texas Christian University, the Owls went back to practice and responded with a pair of victories.
First came a 78-70 triumph over Southwestern Athletic Conference member Southern University Monday. The Owls followed that by overcoming a shaky first half with a sharp second half to defeat Baylor University 79-64 Wednesday night at Autry Court.
"We gained a lot of anger and sickness of being on a losing streak," said Owl center Shaun Igo, who led the effort against the Bears with a team-best 26 points and 14 rebounds. "It allowed us to regroup."
Head Coach Willis Wilson said, "The time off was some soul-searching time. It gave some guys the opportunity to refocus on basketball, to make the adjustment with all of the things they have going on around them. I couldn't be prouder of our basketball team."
The opportunity now in front of the Owls (11-7 overall, 3-3 in the Southwest Conference) is an Autry Court date with Texas Tech University on Saturday at 5:05 p.m. The Red Raiders have been a juggernaut so far -- their 17-1 record ranks them 15th in the nation -- and their 6-0 SWC mark gives them sole possession of first place in the conference.
"They are a big, tough team," Igo said. "Tonight was a dogfight, but Saturday we are playing against a group of dogfighters. That's all they do -- they fight, and they win. They've been getting it done all year long. It's just going to be a big game for us to step up and play like we are capable."
Wilson said, "They are a very, very good team. If we can play 40 minutes like we played 23:32 tonight, then we give them a dogfight, and it will be a heck of a game."
Rice was able to come back from a 14-point deficit against Baylor (6-12, 1-5), a program recovering from NCAA sanctions.
Entering the contest, the Owls had won six straight meetings between the two teams. The Bears, however, looked as though they were going to make a strong bid for ending the streak when they parlayed a 25-10 run into a 36-22 lead with 3:42 to go in the first half.
The Owls gathered themselves during a time-out and came out with a more aggressive defensive scheme. This would turn the game around.
"We extended our full-court pressure and really got out after them," Wilson said. "We got our adrenaline going and played good team defense."
Rice then was able to force some turnovers, capitalize on them and get back into the game.
Rice scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to 36-31 right before the half.
But the Owls' best was yet to come. Rice returned from the locker room and played one of their strongest halves of the season.
With Rice trailing 43-37 with 15:10 left in the game, Tom McGhee caught fire. He followed two-field goals with a pair of three-pointers -- and the 10-point spurt lifted Rice to a 47-46 lead.
McGhee's baseline jumper at the 6:21 mark put Rice ahead to stay. Robert Johnson added a pair of three-pointers, and Igo contributed a slam dunk to put the game out of reach.
"We're a very good defensive team," Wilson said. "For 23:32 minutes of the game, we played tenacious defense, and that was the difference in the game."
Wilson praised the play of his inside players, Igo and Scott Oliver, both of whom held their own against Baylor's duo of Doug Brandt and Brian Skinner. Oliver pulled down 12 rebounds, a career high.
"We had two giants out there rebounding," Wilson said. "I've got to give tons and tons of credit to Scott. He's the best example of our team putting things in perspective."
Perhaps Igo is not completely recovered from the staph infection which forced him to miss four games earlier in the season, but this performance, coming on the heels of a 19-point, 20-rebound effort against Southern, gives all indications that he is making progress.
"I was tired tonight," Igo said. "It's hard playing against strong players like Brian. It just takes a lot out of you. I was just able to make the right plays at the right time."
Wilson said, "He's not a hundred percent, but he's getting closer every day. I don't think people have seen the best basketball he is capable of playing, so it's hard to say if he's ever been a hundred percent. He's nowhere near where he could be, and I don't think he knows that. Once he does realize that, and stays hungry, the sky's the limit."
This item appeared in the Sports section of the February 2, 1996 issue.
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