Rice University
5-5
LSU
8-2
Owls Stay Close But Fall To LSU 65-61
12/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2009
Final Stats
Rice vs. LSU Game Book 
By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
BATON ROUGE, La. - There were missed shots right at the rim and from the charity stripe, and far too many turnovers at critical junctures. But there was defensive intensity and a relentlessness that was missing in previous trips to Arizona and Harvard, attributes revealing progress.
Senior guard Cliff Ghoram carried the Owls early in his homecoming and freshman guard Tamir Jackson tried to finish the comeback late, but the Owls were lacking just a bit too much to complete an earnest effort and fell 65-61 to LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday.
The Owls (5-5) missed eight of their 15 free throws in the second half, many down the stretch in a nip-and-tuck affair that LSU (8-2) couldn't quite control. However, the Tigers led throughout the half despite being played to a standstill on the boards and being outscored in the paint, a byproduct of an uneven offensive performance produced by the Owls.
"I want to make sure our posts and perimeter (players) are having good games on the same day," Rice coach Ben Braun said. "It seems like our perimeters are having a good day and a couple of our post guys struggle. And then our post guys have a great day and a couple of our perimeters struggle. I want to see our guys put it together where no one is having a struggle."
Connor Frizzelle, Trey Stanton and Lucas Kuipers, unquestionably the Owls' most able shooters, combined to score four points while shooting 0-for-13 from the floor. Kuipers fouled out in just 16 minutes and did not record a rebound while Stanton had just one rebound and Frizzelle only one assist. With those usual contributions absent, Ghoram (17 points, eight rebounds), Jackson (a career-high 19 points) and Arsalan Kazemi (12 points, nine boards) carried a disproportionate load.
"Trey didn't hit a shot. I'm OK - he's got to get a rebound," Braun said. "Lucas didn't hit a shot - got to rebound. Connor didn't get many shots. OK, but you've got to make something happen and help us somewhere.
"Look how active Cliff was. Look how active Tamir was. Look how active Arsalan was, and A.J. (Holland) was active too. I'm OK with that. We've got to get our vets active, too. They've got to come around now."
The Owls' spirited defensive display was negated by their offensive inefficiency. LSU's bullish forwards Tasmin Mitchell and Storm Warren combined for just 21 points on 8-for-21 shooting, well below their respective averages of 18.0 points (on 50.0 percent shooting) and 15.9 points (on 64.3 percent shooting). The Owls battled intently on the glass, with both teams posting 35 rebounds and the Owls finishing with a 17-15 edge in second-chance points thanks to 15 offensive boards. The Owls also posted a 32-14 edge on points in the paint, laboring exhaustively despite shooting just 41.1 percent from the floor.
What the Owls didn't accomplish was forcing LSU guard Bo Spencer to penetrate instead of hoist jumpers. Spencer scored a game-high 22 points and often sank shots after the Owls had siphoned off the interior.
"A lot of his shots there were hands in his face," Jackson said. "They were tough shots; he was just hitting them. Sometimes that happens."
What the Owls could not afford to happen were the avalanche of missed free throws and layups. Trailing 45-41 with 8:16 left to play, Emerson Herndon missed a layup but drew a foul. He followed by missing both free throws. With the Owls down 46-43 at the 6:58 mark Kazemi missed a layup following a deft cut to the basket. Suleiman Braimoh missed a free throw that could have cut the deficit to six with 5:14 remaining and Kazemi did the same roughly 30 seconds later. Kazemi missed two from the line with the Owls down 55-49 and 3:59 left on the clock, and Jackson short-armed a free throw after a driving, twisting layup that would have made it a one-possession game with 32.8 seconds left.
But the fact that the Owls were within striking distance late marked a departure from their first two road showings. And after spending the past few days pledging to remain aggressive throughout, the Owls did precisely that in making the Tigers work until the final buzzer sounded.
"I'm happy that we played aggressive and did the things we talked about while preparing for this game," Ghoram said after playing before four dozen friends and family members from nearby Zachary. "Aggressiveness was the theme going into this game."
Said Jackson: "I was very pleased. I was excited to see us fight like that because playing against Arizona and Harvard we didn't fight like that. We let them bully us. We fought back today, so I was very happy."
