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February 9, 2007 > Sports > Almond scores 35 in Owls’ fifth straight home victory

Almond scores 35 in Owls’ fifth straight home victory

By Chris Pasich | Thresher staff

After two straight losses away from Autry Court two weeks ago, the men’s basketball team bounced back with consecutive wins over a two-game homestand. Wednesday, four days after an 83-74 win over East Carolina University, Rice took its second victory of the week, beating the University of Southern Mississippi 70-55 behind 35 points from senior guard Morris Almond. The wins kept the Owls undefeated at home in Conference USA play and moved them to an overall record of 12-10, 6-3.

Tomorrow, the Owls will hit the road for back-to-back away games. First, the Owls travel to Dallas to face Southern Methodist University (13-10, 2-7 C-USA) and then travel to the University of Alabama-Birmingham (11-11, 3-5). Both teams are currently sitting in the C-USA cellar, and both are riding two-game losing streaks. The Owls need two victories to improve their 1-6 road record if they hope to stay tied for second place in conference.

Wednesday, Rice played one of its more well-rounded games of the season, combining a solid first half with a strong second-half finish and playing with consistency throughout the night.

Almond led the way with a game-high 35 points, mostly on fade-away jump shots with a hand in his face. He was 14-21 from the field, making all four of his three-point attempts and all three of his free throws. Overall, Almond found a way to get his shots within the Owls’ offensive game plan.

“I had a couple rocky games there, shooting-wise, turnover-wise, teams playing physical,” Almond said. “It took me a couple games to adjust, but once I fell back into my rhythm and started to let the game come to me, it got that much easier.”

The Owls’ defense stepped up as well, taking the Golden Eagles’ shot clock down to single digits on multiple possessions and forcing 19 turnovers. Overall, it resulted in one of the most consistent defensive games of the season, and Almond’s offensive potency kept the game in hand.

“I think things are coming together for us, slowly but surely,” head coach Willis Wilson (Will Rice ‘82) said. “We’ve worked so hard in the month of January on our intensity and our effort and our defense, on our block outs … I thought tonight we did a really good job of playing a possession at a time.”

In the first game of their homestand, the Owls kept the visiting Pirates winless in conference play behind Almond’s 34 points on a mere 16 shots. Almond also led Rice in rebounding, pulling down seven boards.

Senior guard Lorenzo Williams also chipped in with a season-high 20 points while dishing out a game-high six assists. Williams also showed aggression he had not displayed earlier in the year, making it to the foul line 12 times and converting 10 free throws. Wilson said Williams’ play allows the offense multiple options.

“It’s going to make it easier for other guys and better for other guys,” Wilson said. “It’s going to allow our post guys to score more efficiently. It’s going to allow our shooters to get better looks. And if that happens, I think our offense will really click and come into a zone.”

The Owls were unable to contain the ECU three-point shooting in the first half, and the Pirates climbed to a nine-point lead with less than three minutes left in the half. Wilson said his players were giving up both too many open drives and too many uncontested shots to stay in the game.

The Owls started off the game slowly, but used their quickness and aggression to their advantage in the second half. Guards consistently drove to the basket, and the reeling Pirate defenders were forced to foul to prevent open layups. As a result, Rice was able to get to the line 38 times and converted 30 of those opportunities.

“The more times we get to the line, the more likely we are to win,” Williams said. “We’re one of the top free throw shooting teams in the conference, so it’s important for us to be aggressive and draw fouls.”

The Owls were able to win in spite of the absence of senior center Greg Killings, as junior forwards Patrick Britton and Paulius Packevicius both had solid nights with eight and nine points respectively. In addition, sparingly-used forward Aleks Perka had his highest-scoring night of the year, contributing eight points and four rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.

“Aleks has had the best three weeks of his career in practice,” Wilson said. “So it’s not a coincidence that he played as well as he did in that game, in particular. With Greg out, we need someone to step up, and I think he’s certainly more than capable.”

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