Rice Plays Host to Angelo State in Exhibition
11/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2009
With less than a week until their openers, Rice will take on Angelo State Monday in Tudor Fieldhouse as both teams look to measure where each program is heading into the season. Tip-off for Monday's exhibition is slated for 7 p.m.
Rice tips off its season this weekend as the Owls play host to the Rice Basketball Challenge presented by Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Medical Center. Rice will play three games in as many days starting Friday when the Owls open against Sacramento State. The round-robin tournament field also includes Houston Baptist and South Alabama.
Rice second-year coach Ben Braun looks to infuse a nucleus of returning players who accounted for 72 percent of the team's scoring a year ago with an incoming signing class ranked No. 30 in the nation by Basketball Times as well as among the Top 10 for mid-major programs.
Rice saw a seven-win improvement from the previous season, posting a 10-22 record last year.
The Owls' two leading scorers who return this year are both sophomores. Prior to suffering a broken wrist during a January practice, Lucas Kuipers was averaging 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. Connor Frizzelle, also a member of last year's freshman class, averaged 8.7 points and led Conference USA in free throw shooting, making 86.6 percent of his shots from the line.
Rice will have just one senior on the squad. Braun announced last week that senior Cory Pflieger, who averaged 8.2 points last year and ranks among the Top 10 three-point shooters in school history, will have surgery this week to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Lawrence Ghoram, who has started every Conference USA game over the last two seasons, is now the squad's lone senior. He averaged 8.0 points per contest a year ago.
Angelo State will also be looking to gauge where its program is during Monday's exhibition. The Rams will play a second exhibition game Friday at Texas A&M before opening at home against Texas-Permien Basin next week.
The Rams are picked to finish second in the Lone Star Conference South Division according to the league's preseason poll. They are coming off a 20-9 season and made their first NCAA Division II playoff appearance in eight seasons.
Angelo State senior Shavar Burch has been named the 2009-10 LSC South's Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds as a junior college transfer a year ago.
Rice Season Tickets
Season tickets and three-game packages, which include the Owls' home game with Texas on Nov. 29, are available through the Rice Athletic Ticket Office. For more information, fans may contact the ticket office at (713) 522-OWLS or visit the ticket office's site at www.RiceOwls.com.
Lower bowl, chair back season tickets to Rice basketball games may arguably be the best value for sports fans in Houston. In addition to 16 home games, lower bowl, chair back season ticket holders will also have an opportunity to purchase 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournament tickets for games played in Reliant Stadium. Basketball fans interested in the perk need to contact the Rice Athletic Ticket Office for details.
