Rice University
9-19, 4-10
Houston
18-9, 9-5
Cougars Escape with 56-51 Win at Rice
2/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2009
Houston vs. Rice Game Book in PDF Format 
HOUSTON - Junior guard Aubrey Coleman scored 12 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and gave Houston the lead for good with a floating jumper with 2:28 to play as the Cougars came from behind to edge Rice 56-51 Saturday.
With the win, Houston won on the Rice campus for the first time since 1996, snapping a six-game losing streak in Tudor Fieldhouse, formerly Autry Court. The Cougars improved to 18-9 and 9-5. The Owls were vying for their second win this week after a road victory at UCF on Wednesday but with the loss fell to 9-19 and 4-10.
Rice led 32-28 at halftime and enjoyed as much as an eight-point second-half lead. After a pair of free throws by Trey Stanton with 5:22 to play gave the Owls a 49-41 lead, Houston scored the next 11 points. Kelvin Lewis scored and then stole a pass from Aleks Perka. He was fouled driving for a layup in which Perka was called for goaltending.
With Lewis' ensuing free throw, suddenly the Owls' lead was three, 49-46 with 4:38 to play.
Rice senior guard Rodney Foster, re-entered the game with four fouls. After a missed three-pointer by Stanton, Marcus Cousin grabbed an offensive rebound of a Coleman jumper and Foster was called for his fifth personal.
Foster, the Owls' leading scorer who had been averaging right at 20 points a game over the past three weeks, played much of the first half despite two early fouls. He ended the game with just five points on 1-for-5 shooting in 24 minutes of play. He did have six assists while turning the ball over just once.
Cousin made both of his free throws following Foster's foul to make it a one-point game.
After a missed shot by Perka, Coleman gave the Cougars the lead then had a putback basket that gave the UH a three-point advantage.
Perka cut the Houston lead to one with a layup with 46 seconds to play but on the other end of the court, the Cougars' Zamal Nixon grabbed an offensive rebound following a Coleman miss and the Owls had to quickly foul. Nixon's two free throws with 14 seconds to play extended the Cougars lead to 54-51.
In an effort to keep the Owls from shooting a three-pointer, Houston fouled Cory Pflieger who missed the front end of a one-and-one. Cousin would make two free throws with eight seconds to play to put Houston out in front 56-51.
Houston shot just 29 percent from the field and made only 1-of-13 three-pointers. Nick Mosley added 11 points and had nine rebounds. Lewis and Nixon each finished with 10.
Stanton led the Owls with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his third career double-double. No other Rice player scored in double figures.
Rice is back on the road Wednesday at Marshall. The Owls close out the regular season Saturday when they play host to Tulsa. Houston is at home for its last two games, taking on Memphis Wednesday and SMU Saturday in Hofheinz Pavilion.
