Tuesday, November 9
Houston, Texas
5:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
0-1,0-0WCC
63
at
82
Rice
-10,00 CUSA
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 35 | 28 | 63 |
| Rice | 36 | 46 | 82 |
Houston Mallette
Photo by: Morgan Davenport
Men's Hoops Falls in Season Opener at Rice
11/9/2021 7:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON, Texas – Houston Mallette and Mike Mitchell Jr. had impressive freshman debuts, but the Pepperdine men's basketball team suffered a season-opening 82-63 loss at Rice on Tuesday night.
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It was a one-point game at halftime but the Owls (1-0) outscored the Waves (0-1) 46-28 after the break.
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BIG WAVES
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A back-and-forth first half that saw 10 lead changes and eight ties resulted in a 36-35 lead for the Owls. After falling behind by five early, Mitchell hit two three-pointers in a 13-2 run that gave Pepperdine its biggest lead of six at 18-12 with 13:50 left in the first half. For the final 11 1/2 minutes of the first half, the game was never separated by more than two points.
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However, Rice opened the second half with a 13-0 run to go in front 49-35. The Owls would lead by as many as 28 points.
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KEY STATSÂ
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The home opener is Friday (Nov. 12) against Idaho State at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on the WCC Network. Ticket information and COVID-19 entry policies for Firestone Fieldhouse can be found here.
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It was a one-point game at halftime but the Owls (1-0) outscored the Waves (0-1) 46-28 after the break.
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BIG WAVES
- Freshman guard Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) had a team-high 18 points. He made five three-pointers and also posted six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
- Freshman guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) accumulated 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. He sank three three-pointers.
- Junior forward Jan Zidek (Prague, Czech Republic) had eight points and six rebounds.
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A back-and-forth first half that saw 10 lead changes and eight ties resulted in a 36-35 lead for the Owls. After falling behind by five early, Mitchell hit two three-pointers in a 13-2 run that gave Pepperdine its biggest lead of six at 18-12 with 13:50 left in the first half. For the final 11 1/2 minutes of the first half, the game was never separated by more than two points.
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However, Rice opened the second half with a 13-0 run to go in front 49-35. The Owls would lead by as many as 28 points.
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KEY STATSÂ
- The Waves were outshot 49.2% to 35.4%.
- After being held to 40.6% shooting in the first half, the Owls hit on 58.6% of their shots in the second half.
- Rice got a game-high 24 points from Travis Evee, who hit six three-pointers.
- Newcomers scored more than half of the Waves' points (37 of 63).
- Mitchell and graduate transfer forward Keith Fisher III (Los Angeles, Calif./Illinois State) drew their first career starts for the Waves.
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The home opener is Friday (Nov. 12) against Idaho State at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on the WCC Network. Ticket information and COVID-19 entry policies for Firestone Fieldhouse can be found here.
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Mike ➡️ Keith for the 🔨 pic.twitter.com/UOCmL8TxSQ
— Pepperdine Men's Basketball (@PeppBasketball) November 10, 2021
Team Stats
PEP
Rice
FG%
.354
.492
3FG%
.321
.355
FT%
.667
.688
RB
36
43
TO
15
14
STL
7
12
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
