Rice University
12-16
SMU
13-15
SMU Eliminates Rice, 61-59
3/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2006
SMU eliminated Rice from the 2006 Conference USA Championship presented by Aeropostale by winning 61-59 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. The Owls' Morris Almond continued his dominance of SMU by scoring a game-high 28 points to lead Rice. Almond previously scored 40 and 32 points against the Mustangs in the two regular season contests.
The Owls got off to a shaky start as SMU scored the first eight points of the game. Rice then scored the next 10 points with Almond scoring the last seven after a J.R. Harrison field goal. The Mustangs then countered with a 6-0 run to take a 14-10 lead, a lead which they would not relinquish. Despite only making 9 of 31 shots in the first half, for 29 percent, the Owls were only down 27-22 heading into half-time.
Both squads traded baskets in the second-half, but another Almond jumper and a trey from reserve freshman guard Cory Pflieger knotted the game at 46-46 with 6:27 to play. But, SMU scored went on another 6-0 run to forge a 52-46 lead. A J.R. Harrison three-pointer with 34 seconds on the clock brought Rice to within two at 56-54, but Dez Willingham hit two free throws and Donatas Rackauskas made one free throw for a 59-54 lead with 22 seconds left.
Rice finished the game shooting 38.5 percent to SMU's 46.6 percent, while SMU owned the glass outrebounding Rice 42 to 30.
Almond scored 28 points on 12-17 shooting (3-4 three-pointers) and 1-2 at the free throw line and he led Rice (12-16) with 7 rebounds. J.R. Harrison was the only other Owl in double-figures with 13 points.
Rackauskas and Devon Pearson led SMU (13-15) with 15 apiece as they next will face UAB on Thursday at noon.
