Rice University
-816, 19 CUSA
Southern Miss
-159, 55 CUSA
Southern Miss Knocks Off Rice, 66-50
2/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2010
Rice vs. Southern Miss Game Book 
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss held Rice's two leading scorers to a combined 13 points and the Golden Eagles had a decisive performance at the free throw line en route to a 66-50 win Saturday in Reed Green Coliseum.
USM junior forward Gary Flowers scored a game-high 20 points. Flowers was 7-for-12 from the field and perfect from the line on six attempts. As a team, the Golden Eagles shot 82 percent at the line (27-for-33) in a physical game in which 45 fouls were called, 25 against the Owls.
Rice, now 8-16 and 1-9, entered the game having outrebounded eight of its first nine Conference USA opponents but Southern Miss controlled the boards, 38-26. USM improved to 15-9 and 5-5 with the win.
Rice freshmen Arsalan Kazemi and Tamir Jackson were both averaging better than 11 points a game. Kazemi was held without a field goal (0-for-3) and four total points. Jackson finished with nine points.
Senior guard Lawrence Ghoram led the Owls with 13 points before fouling out with 4:49 to play. He was 5-for-8 from the field, knocked down 2-of-3 free-throw attempts, had four rebounds and blocked a shot. Lucas Kuipers, who picked up two early fouls, finished with 12 points.
The game was a tightly fought contest until Maurice Bolden's three-pointer proved to be the dagger in a 7-0 run that put USM out in front by double figures for the first time, 47-36 with 10:01 to play.
Rice made just five of its final 14 field goal attempts.
Flowers scored eight of USM's first 10 points and the Golden Eagles built as much as an eight-point lead, 25-17 with 7:25 to play in the first period.
Rice was able to get back into the game by holding USM to just one field goal in its final eight attempts of the half. But the one made was a three-pointer by R.L. Horton with the shot clock winding down to give Southern Miss an eventual 30-27 lead at the break.
During the Golden Eagles' drought, Ghoram knocked down a big three-pointer off a cross-court pass from Bryan Beasley and after a USM turnover, Jackson drove inside for a layup. Following a missed three-pointer by Horton, Kazemi was fouled while shooting. He made both two free throws to put the Owls out in front 26-25 with 2:24 to play in the first period.
USM regained the lead with a pair of free throws by Sai'Quon Stone before Ghoram tied the game with a 1-for-2 trip to the line.
Rice is back on the road Wednesday, traveling to SMU before playing three of its final five conference games at home. The Owls next home game is Feb. 20 when they play host to East Carolina. Southern Miss plays host to UAB on Wednesday.
