Rice University
6-7
Princeton
9-4
Rice Falls To Princeton, 51-28
1/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2007
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) - Luke Owings scored 13 points and Princeton's top-ranked defense held Morris Almond, the nation's top scorer, to nine points in taking a 51-28 victory over Rice Saturday.
Almond, who entered the game leading NCAA Division I with a 31.4 average and was coming off a 44-point effort against Vanderbilt, was still the leading scorer for Rice (6-7) against the Tigers (9-4).
Princeton held Almond to 3-for-8 shooting and 1-for-5 from 3-point range. Almond averaged 18.4 field goal attempts and 10.6 free throw attempts, but had just two foul shots. He committed four turnovers and left the game for good with 8:37 remaining.
Noah Savage and Lincoln Gunn each had nine points for the Tigers, while Marcus Schroeder had seven points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Justin Conway had five rebounds and six assists.
Princeton held the Owls to their lowest output since a 42-28 loss to Oklahoma State in 1944, and it was the lowest total by a Tigers Division I opponent since a 55-27 win over Yale in 1991.
Kyle Koncz's 3-pointer gave Princeton a 6-3 lead it would never relinquish. Princeton took 12 of its first 13 shots from 3-point range against Rice's zone, making five en route to a 17-7 lead. Koncz hit another three to give the Tigers a 22-11 advantage, and Rice never got the deficit under double figures from that point.
The Owls came out of their zone, but it did not help as Princeton continued to pull away. Rice shot 10-for-30, committed 18 turnovers, and got just three offensive rebounds as Princeton held a 31-19 advantage on the boards.
