Saturday, January 12
El Paso, TX
8 p.m.
Rice University
-711, 23 CUSA
64
at
65
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UTEP
-69, 13 CUSA
1
2
F
RICE
34
30
64
UTEP
29
36
65
Rice Drops Heartbreaker at UTEP, 65-64
1/13/2019 12:33:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EL PASO — After Trey Murphy III hit a three-pointer to give Rice a 64-63 lead with 1.5 seconds left, Jordan Lathon hit a jumper with 0.5 seconds on the clock to give UTEP the 65-64 victory, Saturday night from Don Haskins Center.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"The credit goes to (UTEP). (Jordan Lathon) hit a big-time shot. We had a little breakdown there. He's a good player and he made the shot. I've got a bunch of devastated kids who played their hearts out. At the end of the day, they made one more play."
The Story
Rice led 56-52 with 6:43 to play before UTEP scored nine of the next 11 points over the next 4:24 to take a three-point lead. Chris Mullins tied the game with a three-point play with 1:30 remaining. With 15 seconds to play, Lathon hit a jumper to give UTEP the lead. But, on the ensuing possession, Murphy III grabbed the rebound off Mullins' miss, got behind the three-point line and hit a three with 1.5 seconds to play to give the Owls the lead. UTEP then attempted to inbound the ball, but Quentin Millora-Brown blocked the attempt. However, just one second came off the clock. With 0.5 seconds left. Ountae Campbell threw a pass the length of the court to Lathon who gathered the ball, turned and hit a fadeaway as time expired.
Rice came out of the gate firing. With Rice leading 8-6, the Owls went on a 17-2 run, hitting five three-pointers in the process, to take its largest lead of the game, 25-8, with 9:25 to play in the first half. However, the Owls went cold as UTEP began to heat up. The Miners answered with a 13-3 run over the next 5:25 to pull within seven. After the teams exchanged points, Trey Murphy III hit a three-pointer to extended Rice's lead to eight. But, UTEP made a three just before the half as Rice's lead was cut to 34-29 at the break.
The Stats
Rice shot 36.7% from the field and 41.9% from three. UTEP shot 44.6% from the floor and 42.1% from three. The Owls outrebounded the Miners, 39-to-38 and had 18 second chance points to UTEP's four.
Notes
• Rice fell to 7-11 on the year and 2-3 in Conference USA.
• Rice is 12-24 all-time against UTEP and 3-15 in games played in El Paso.
• Jack Williams recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 15 points and a season-high tying 11 rebounds.
• Robert Martin recorded his the double-double of his career with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
• It is the first time Rice had two players record double-doubles since Bishop Mency and Malik Osborne at New Mexico on Dec. 19, 2017.
• Chris Mullins scored 10 points, his 12th straight game in double-figures.
Next Up
Rice closes its road trip next Saturday, Jan. 19, when it travels to Denton to face North Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by ESPN+.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"The credit goes to (UTEP). (Jordan Lathon) hit a big-time shot. We had a little breakdown there. He's a good player and he made the shot. I've got a bunch of devastated kids who played their hearts out. At the end of the day, they made one more play."
The Story
Rice led 56-52 with 6:43 to play before UTEP scored nine of the next 11 points over the next 4:24 to take a three-point lead. Chris Mullins tied the game with a three-point play with 1:30 remaining. With 15 seconds to play, Lathon hit a jumper to give UTEP the lead. But, on the ensuing possession, Murphy III grabbed the rebound off Mullins' miss, got behind the three-point line and hit a three with 1.5 seconds to play to give the Owls the lead. UTEP then attempted to inbound the ball, but Quentin Millora-Brown blocked the attempt. However, just one second came off the clock. With 0.5 seconds left. Ountae Campbell threw a pass the length of the court to Lathon who gathered the ball, turned and hit a fadeaway as time expired.
Rice came out of the gate firing. With Rice leading 8-6, the Owls went on a 17-2 run, hitting five three-pointers in the process, to take its largest lead of the game, 25-8, with 9:25 to play in the first half. However, the Owls went cold as UTEP began to heat up. The Miners answered with a 13-3 run over the next 5:25 to pull within seven. After the teams exchanged points, Trey Murphy III hit a three-pointer to extended Rice's lead to eight. But, UTEP made a three just before the half as Rice's lead was cut to 34-29 at the break.
The Stats
Rice shot 36.7% from the field and 41.9% from three. UTEP shot 44.6% from the floor and 42.1% from three. The Owls outrebounded the Miners, 39-to-38 and had 18 second chance points to UTEP's four.
Notes
• Rice fell to 7-11 on the year and 2-3 in Conference USA.
• Rice is 12-24 all-time against UTEP and 3-15 in games played in El Paso.
• Jack Williams recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 15 points and a season-high tying 11 rebounds.
• Robert Martin recorded his the double-double of his career with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
• It is the first time Rice had two players record double-doubles since Bishop Mency and Malik Osborne at New Mexico on Dec. 19, 2017.
• Chris Mullins scored 10 points, his 12th straight game in double-figures.
Next Up
Rice closes its road trip next Saturday, Jan. 19, when it travels to Denton to face North Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by ESPN+.
Team Stats
RICE
UTEP
FG%
.367
.446
3FG%
.419
.421
FT%
.538
.538
RB
39
38
TO
13
13
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
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