Men's Basketball Hosts Crosstown Foe St. Thomas
11/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Tim Andrzejewski (tim.andrzejewski@rice.edu)
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HOUSTON — Rice returns home to face crosstown foe St. Thomas this Saturday, Nov. 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by CUSAtv.
Scouting Rice
• Rice is 1-4 after falling to Ole Miss, 79-62, in the consolation game of the MGM Grand Main Event.
• Junior guard Connor Cashaw leads the team with 17.8 points, which is fifth in Conference USA while tying for the team lead with 6.2 rebounds. He is also averaging 3.0 assists, is tied for ninth in the league with 2.2 three-pointers per game and is tied for 10th in steals (1.6).
• Graduate guard A.J. Lapray is tied for second on the team with 10.6 points. He is also second in C-USA in three-point field goal percentage (.500) and is tied for fourth in three-pointers per game (2.6).
• Sophomore guard Ako Adams is averaging 10.6 points. He is also pulling down 3.8 boards, is third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1) and tied for fifth in assists (5.0).
• The Owls are averaging 68.6 points per game while allowing 77.4.
• Rice is connecting on just 39.1% from the floor and 32.6% from three. Its opponents are shooting 44.2% from the field but are being held to just 31.7% from beyond the arc.
• The Owls are grabbing 37.6 rebounds per game while allowing 39.0.
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his first season leading the Rice men's basketball program after serving its last three years as its Associate Head Coach.
Scouting St. Thomas
• St. Thomas is 5-1 on the season after defeating Xavier (La.), 63-61, last Wednesday.
• Junior guard Paris Marquez leads the team with 11.8 points per game. He is also tied for sixth in the Red River Conference with 2.0 steals per game and tied for ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.429).
• Sophomore guard Kennard Robinson is second on the squad with 10.3 points. He is also tied for fifth in the league in assists (4.5) and tied for sixth in steals (2.0).
• Sophomore forwards Paul Taulton and Nathan Thormaehlen are tied for the team lead in rebounds, grabbing 3.8 per game.
• The Celts are scoring 78.8 points per game while allowing a league-best 68.3.
• UST is connecting on 45.1% from the field and 34.7% from three while allowing its opponents to hit 42.0% from the floor and 33.6% from beyond the arc.
• St. Thomas is outrebounding its opponents, 36.7-to-34.7.
• Head coach Anthony Medina is in his third season at the helm of the St. Thomas men's basketball program where he owns a 28-34 (.451) record.
Series History
• Rice and St. Thomas will meet for the seventh time.
• Rice holds a 6-1 record in the series and has won the last four meetings.
• The previous seven meetings have all been held at Tudor Fieldhouse.
• The seven games have been decided by an average of 13.0 points per game.
Next Up
• Rice goes back on the road next Wednesday, Nov. 29, when it travels to Arlington to face UT-Arlington. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be livestreamed by ESPN3.