Rice Owls guard Mekhi Mason battles UTEP Miners forward Calvin Solomon during the first half of a NCAA mens basketball game at Tudor Field House on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 in Houston.The outcome was going to be decided one way or the other on Travis Evee’s 10-foot runner.
“I’ll never apologize for being happy and excited, but I’m really happy for the whole Rice basketball community,” said Rice coach Scott Pera, who was a pleased participant in the court storming. The only question was who was going to take the final shot for the Owls, who fell behind as many as 10 points in the first half and trailed 41-38 at the break. Prior to the game-winning basket, Evee had 19 points. Quincy Olivari had 23 points, making eight of his final nine shot attempts.