Owls Take on Santa Clara Thursday
11/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2010
Rice will look to equal last year's 3-0 start Thursday night when the Owls take on Santa Clara in the team's first road game of the season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. local time, 9 p.m. in Houston. The game will be broadcast by ESPN 97.5
Rice capped a 2-0 weekend to start the season last Sunday when the Owls beat Grambling State 86-57. In both of the team's games this season a player has come off the bench to lead the Owls in scoring. Trey Stanton scored 17 points in the Owls' 63-51 season-opening win over St. Thomas. Earlier this week, Connor Frizzelle came off the bench and was the team's scoring co-leader with 17 points.
Frizzelle leads Rice with 13.0 point scoring average this season and has five steals in two games.
Thursday's game against Santa Clara is the return trip for a home-and-home series with the West Coast Conference school. Last year, Frizzelle scored 16 points and the Owls converted 23 Santa Clara turnovers into 27 points in a 70-57 victory over the Broncos.
Last year's game was supposed to be an opportunity for Santa Clara guard and Katy native Kevin Foster to play at home. Foster was the 2009 West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year but played in just six games last year before suffering a fractured foot that sidelined him the remainder of the year.
Foster, whose older brother Rodney played at Rice, is averaging 22.5 points this season to lead the Broncos. Earlier this week he scored 26 points in Santa Clara's 86-73 loss at USC.
Junior forward Marc Trasolina is averaging 16 points and 9.5 rebounds for Santa Clara. He had 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss to USC.
In addition to Frizzelle, three other Rice players are averaging double-figure scoring this season.
Sophomore forward Arsalan Kazemi has posted consecutive double-doubles to open the season and is averaging 12.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Junior forward Lucas Kuipers is averaging 11.5 points per game and shooting 72 percent from the field. Also, starting guard Tamir Jackson is averaging 11 points an outing.
The Owls feature several Northern California ties. Ben Braun was the head coach at the University of California from 1996-2008. Rice coaching staff members Louis Reynaud and Mike Roberts were on the Cal staff with Braun.
Rice freshman point guard Trevan Abraham prepped at Sacramento, Calif., Charter High School. Abraham has started the Owls' first two games of the season.
Following Thursday's road game, the Owls are back in home Sunday when they play host to St. Gregory's. Tip-off for the Sunday matinee is 3 p.m.
