Rice University
7-3
Lamar
8-3
Lamar Holds Off Rice, 87-81
12/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2011
Final Stats
Lamar v Rice Game Book 
HOUSTON - Despite a pair of individual 20-point efforts and defensive pressure which helped erase most of a 16-point deficit, Rice could not overcome Lamar's fast start as the Cardinals held on for an 87-81 win Saturday in Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice dropped to 7-3 with the loss and now has a quick turnaround to prepare for its final game of the current home stand. The Owls play host to Temple Monday. Lamar is now 8-3 and is on the road at Ohio State on Tuesday.
After returning from New Jersey following a death in his family, Tamir Jackson came off the bench for the first time in his career to score 24 points. Jackson traveled to New Jersey following Wednesday's game against Louisiana College and returned to Houston Saturday morning. He had started all 72 games of his playing career.
Arsalan Kazemi notched a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double and had three steals. Kazemi's lone assist came on a look inside to Connor Frizzelle for an easy layin which proved to be the senior's 1,000th career point. Frizzelle finished with 12 points and now has 1,004 for his career. He became the 29th player in Rice history to score 1,000 points in a career.
Lamar senior guard Mike James sparked a Lamar team which made 8-of-9, first-half three-pointers in building a 42-35 lead at halftime. James was 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and had 19 points at the break. He finished with a game-high 26 points before fouling out with 4:25 to play.
Lamar led by as many as 16 points with 8:12 to play. Rice finally got the Cardinals' lead down to single figures for good with 3:29 to play as Frizzelle scored inside. A fastbreak layup by Kazemi off an Ibrahim pass cut the lead to 80-74 with just over three minutes to play.
Trailing 81-75, Julian DeBose came up with a defensive rebound for the Owls and Ahmad Ibrahim's two free throws with 1:43 left made it a four-point game.
The Owls would not get any closer as Lamar's Charlie Harper made two free throws on a pair of successive trips to the line and Devon Lamb's two shots at the line with eight seconds to play once again gave the Cards' a six-point lead.
Rice shot 47 percent from the field but managed to make just 19-of-31 free throws (61.3 percent). Lamar was 37-of-44 from the line (84.1 percent). The Cardinals also outrebounded Rice 37-33.
Anthony Miles was 15-of-18 at the free throw line for Lamar and finished with 19 points. Lamb was 7-of-8 at the line and scored 17 points.
