HOUSTON (Interstat) — Rice edged North Texas 86-83 in a double-overtime men’s basketball game Wednesday night in American Athletic Conference play at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls, led by Nick Anderson and Trae Broadnax with 22 points each, overcame a nine-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Mean Green 40-31 after the break. Both teams scored 14 points in the first overtime before Rice secured the win in the second extra period. North Texas, which got 19 points from Cole Franklin, forced 22 turnovers but was hampered by 3-for-18 shooting from 3-point range. Rice improved to 10-13 overall, while North Texas fell to 12-11. Attendance was 1,314.

HOUSTON (Interstat) — In a game defined by grit, missed opportunities, and sheer endurance, Rice outlasted North Texas in a double-overtime American Athletic Conference thriller, 86-83, on Wednesday night at Tudor Fieldhouse. The contest, witnessed by 1,314 fans, saw the host Owls overcome a significant halftime deficit and survive a relentless defensive effort from the Mean Green to secure a pivotal conference victory. The win improved Rice to 10-13 overall, while North Texas fell to 12-11. The narrative of the game unfolded in starkly different chapters. North Texas, leveraging its defensive pressure, controlled the first half. The Mean Green forced the Owls into 10 first-half turnovers, converting them into easy baskets to build a 34-25 lead at the break. Rice struggled to find any offensive rhythm, shooting poorly from the field while North Texas consistently attacked the paint. The second half, however, belonged to Rice. The Owls, led by the backcourt duo of Nick Anderson and Trae Broadnax, erupted for 40 points. They began to solve the North Texas pressure, cutting their turnovers and finding success from beyond the arc. Anderson, a Houston native, and Broadnax each finished with 22 points, with Anderson’s scoring often coming at critical moments to stem North Texas runs. The Owls methodically chipped away at the deficit, eventually forcing overtime with a late surge that erased the Mean Green’s once-comfortable lead. The first overtime period was a tense, back-and-forth affair, with both teams scoring 14 points. North Texas relied on its interior presence and free throws, while Rice continued to find answers from its guards. The period ended with the teams deadlocked, setting the stage for a second extra session. The decisive sequence came in the final seconds of the second overtime. With Rice leading by three and under 15 seconds remaining, North Texas’s Cole Franklin was fouled on a three-point attempt, earning three free throws with a chance to tie the game. The pressure of the moment proved immense. Franklin, who finished with 19 points, missed the first attempt. After a Rice lane violation, he missed the second shot as well, leaving the Mean Green down by three with one final free throw. He intentionally missed the third, but Rice’s Trae Broadnax secured the defensive rebound, was fouled, and sank two clutch free throws with 13 seconds left to extend the lead to five, effectively sealing the outcome. North Texas had one final desperation heave, but Cahmai Crosby’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark, cementing the Rice victory. Statistically, the game was a study in contrasts that explained the marathon result. North Texas dominated several key categories but could not overcome poor shooting from distance. The Mean Green scored 48 points in the paint to Rice’s 32, forced 22 turnovers leading to 27 points, and recorded 17 steals. However, they shot a frigid 3 of 18 from three-point range and 18 of 27 from the free-throw line, with the late misses proving particularly costly. Rice countered by winning the battle on the glass, grabbing 23 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points. They also shot significantly better from deep, making 10 three-pointers at a 31% clip. The Owls’ offensive rating of 102.0 on 84 possessions narrowly bested North Texas’s 100.2 on 83 possessions, highlighting the razor-thin margin between the teams. For North Texas, David Terrell played all 48 minutes and scored 18 points, while Je’Shawn Stevenson also added 18. Dylan Arnett provided a strong interior presence with eight points and two blocks. Rice’s Jalen Smith supported Anderson and Broadnax with 13 points, and Stephen Giwa contributed five points and three blocks in 18 minutes off the bench. The most important part of the game was unquestionably the final sequence of the second overtime. With the outcome hanging in the balance, Franklin’s missed free throws—a culmination of North Texas’s struggles at the line all night—represented the final, decisive swing. After battling back from a deep hole and surviving the first overtime, Rice’s composure in those closing seconds, exemplified by Broadnax’s clutch rebounds and free throws, provided the final, insurmountable hurdle for the Mean Green. The result defied pregame expectations, as North Texas had been installed as a slight 1.5-point favorite and statistical models gave the Mean Green a nearly 75% probability to win. The combined score of 169 also dramatically surpassed the over/under line of 133.5. North Texas will look to rebound quickly, hosting Texas-San Antonio on Saturday. Rice travels to face UAB on Sunday.

Preview: North Texas at Rice in American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball HOUSTON (Interstat) — Two American Athletic Conference teams looking to halt slides will meet Wednesday when the North Texas Mean Green visit the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse. North Texas (12-10) enters having lost three straight, including a 72-68 home defeat to UAB on Saturday. The Mean Green have struggled offensively during the skid, failing to reach 70 points in the three losses after averaging 75.3 points in their previous three games, all wins. Rice (9-13) has dropped two of its last three, most recently an 80-70 loss at Charlotte last Friday. The Owls have been inconsistent in conference play, mixing narrow losses with occasional impressive road wins, such as their 83-77 victory at East Carolina on Jan. 28. The matchup features two of the league’s top guards. North Texas will rely on David Terrell, who is averaging 17.1 points and 4.9 assists over his last seven games. He scored 17 points with five assists in the loss to UAB. For Rice, Trae Broadnax has been a consistent force, scoring at least 16 points in seven consecutive contests. He is averaging 19.1 points per game over that stretch and posted 16 points and five assists against Charlotte. North Texas won the first meeting this season, 72-67, in Denton on Jan. 4. Terrell had 14 points in that game, while Broadnax was held to 11 for Rice. The Mean Green’s recent struggles have centered on closing games, as their three consecutive losses have been by a combined 14 points. Je’Shawn Stevenson, coming off a 21-point performance against UAB, provides a secondary scoring option. Rice will need to improve its defense after allowing an average of 81.3 points in its last three outings. Forward Jimmy Oladokun, who had three blocks against Charlotte, anchors the interior. With both teams sitting in the middle tier of the AAC standings, Wednesday’s contest is pivotal for building momentum ahead of the conference tournament. North Texas seeks to rediscover its early-January form, while Rice aims to protect its home court and level the season series. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.