Rice University
-818, 39 CUSA
SMU
-817, 210 CUSA
SMU Holds Off Rice Rally
2/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2009
Rice vs. SMU Game Book in PDF Format 
DALLAS - Robert Nyakundi broke a 65-65 tie with a 20-foot jumper with 1:56 to play and SMU went on to beat Rice 69-66 in Conference USA action Saturday in Moody Coliseum.
With the win, SMU improved to 8-17 and 2-10 in Conference USA play. The Mustangs split a home-and-home series with Rice. The Owls, now 8-18 and 3-9, defeated the Ponies 69-57 earlier in the year in Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice had to rally from as much as a 16-point, first-half deficit and trailed 38-28 at halftime.
The Owls put together a 13-2 run at one point in the second period to take its first lead since early in the contest. Connor Frizzelle and Rodney Foster each knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give Rice a 49-48 lead with 12:20 to play.
No team would gain more than a two-possession advantage over the other the remainder of the game. The Owls' last lead came on a three-pointer by Frizzelle with 3:30 to play, giving Rice a 64-62 lead. SMU's Paul McCoy answered at the other end with a trey that allowed the Mustangs to regain the lead.
Rice had an opportunity to tie as Frizzelle was fouled driving inside. The league's leading free throw shooter went to the line but missed the front end of a one-and-one and Bamba Fall rebounded for the Mustangs.
Nyakundi would then drill a long jumper that the officials later reviewed. Nyakundi's foot was on the line and the game remained a one-possession contest.
After a missed three-pointer by Foster, SMU came up with two offensive rebounds after missed shots before Paul McCoy missed the front end of a one-and-one. Rice would have its chances as SMU missed two more one-and-one opportunities. But Stanton missed a layup attempt and Foster had another three-pointer that missed its mark.
Stanton rebounded Foster's miss and the Owls called time out with 10 seconds to play. Rice had to settle for a two-pointer from Aleks Perka with five seconds to play, cutting the lead to 67-66. The Owls almost came up with a loose ball on the inbound before Perak was called for a foul with two seconds left. Walker made two free throws to account for the final score.
Walker and Nyakundi led SMU with 14 points apiece. Nyakundi helped the Mustangs out to an early lead, making his first three, three-pointers and was 4-for-5 from behind the arc. Fall added a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Rice was led by Rodney Foster's 18 points and four assists. Foster suffered a bruised thumb diving into the stands for a loose ball and later sprained his left ankle when he came down on McCoy's foot while make a three-pointer.
Frizzelle added 14 points for Rice.
Rice shot better than 50 percent from the field in the second half and 46 percent for the game. The Mustangs would outrebound Rice 39-31 and had 14 offensive rebounds to the Owls' four.
The Owls are back in action Wednesday when they travel to UCF. The team's next home game is Saturday when it plays host to crosstown rival Houston.
