Rice 64, UCLA 82

HOUSTON, TX -- I'm not going to discuss Wednesday's game between Rice and UCLA into much detail. Here's what you need to know. Rice outscored UCLA 64 to 62 for 32 minutes plus. However, UCLA won the ball game 82 to 64.

Calculate the math.

UCLA (8-1) jumped out to a 20 to 0 lead before the Owls scored a single point.

With 17:03 left in the first half, Rice head coach Greg Williams replaced his five starters hoping to light a spark under his club. At the point, the Owls trailed 8 to 0. The starters checked back into the game with 13:51 left in the first half. Rice (3-4) trailed 18 to 0.

UCLA led by as much as 27 points (31 to 4); however, to their credit, the Owls did not quit in the ball game. Rice pulled within 15 points twice during the second half.

Freshman point guard D'Frantz Smart, once again, led the Owls in scoring with 20 points.  Sophomore forward Morgan Mayse posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Brianna Hypolite scored 10 points off the Owls' bench.

UCLA placed five players in double figures led by 16 points from sophomore guard Doreena Campbell.

Needless to say, the Owls' post-game comments focused on the awful start to the ball game.

"The first 12 minutes is what killed us," said D'Frantz Smart. "That definitely made it hard for us to come back and win the ball game. Whenever a team starts like that, it's going to be pretty hard to win. I heard we won the last 28 minutes but we were still down by 20 to start the game."

Brianna Hypolite added, "Coach Williams tried something different when he took out the first half and put in the new five and we still couldn't produce anything. That 20 to 0 really caught us off guard. After a couple of times-out, the coaches were saying we really need to go out there and play with some pride and that's what we did."

Hypolite was very candid in her opinion of what caused the team's slow start.

"I don't know. Maybe lack of focus. I think some of our team members weren't ready to play as much as others. By the time they realized what they needed to do, it was too late. We looked up at the clock and the scoreboard and it was too late by the time."

Smart concurred and added, "Lack of focus. Lack of toughness. I think that had something to do with it. They had 40 points in the paint. That's just about playing with heart. If people want to be basketball players, instead of just coming out here and just bow down to UCLA, we should all look at the opponent as just somebody else we play. When we come out with that focus, we'll be a pretty good basketball team; but, until then, we're going to struggle."

Owls' coach Greg Williams didn't mince any words with his remarks either.

"I'm very disappointed in the way we started the game. Obviously. 20 to 0. We weren't ready. We've seen this happen before here; and, we addressed (with the players) before the game. After finals at Rice, Rice women's basketball teams in the past have just come out and cratered. We tried to bring it to their attention that finals are over and it's time to focus."

Williams could tell his team wasn't ready.

"Our practice Tuesday was...they were forgetting things. Just basic stuff. That's the way we started the game. We were back on our heels. We weren't aggressive. We looked like we had never been taught how to break a 2-2-1 press even though we worked on it for three days."

One of the Owls' biggest weaknesses has been the play of the front court players.

"They killed us inside," said Coach Williams. "We knew they were bigger. Our inside presence is pretty much non-existent right now on the defensive end; and, that's why we tried to get into the press and make it into a 94-foot game but that led to numerous lay-ups for them. But, that's the only way we thought we could generate a little excitement and energy from our team. At least we did that the last 28 minutes of the game."