Saturday, January 11
Houston, TX
2 p.m.
Rice University
-98,13 CUSA
92
vs
78
FIU
-116,22 CUSA
1
2
F
FIU
30
48
78
Rice
42
50
92
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Strong Shooting Sends Rice to 92-78 Victory over FIU
1/11/2020 6:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON — Five players scored double-figures as Rice shot 63.3% in the second half to defeat FIU, 92-78, Saturday afternoon from Tudor Fieldhouse.
How it Happened
The game began as a back-and-forth affair, as neither team could string two straight baskets together through the first eight and a half minutes. With Rice leading 14-11, Trey Murphy III made back-to-back layups. After Ako Adams took a charge, he then came down and made a three-pointer. A minute later, Josh Parrish made a layup and Adams followed with a putback to give Rice a 25-11 advantage. After Trejon Jacob made one-of-two free throws, Drew Peterson hit Parrish for a dunk and Adams followed with his second three-pointer to cap off a 16-1 run and give Rice its largest lead of the game, 30-12, with 7:01 to play in the half. FIU went on a 13-6 run before Chris Mullins connected on two free throws. The Panthers scored five of the next seven points to pull within 40-30 with 19 seconds to play, but Parrish made a pair from the free throw line right before the half to send Rice into the break with a 42-30 lead.
Both teams came out strong in the second half. Adams and Mullins combined on five three-pointers in the first five minutes as Rice took its largest lead of the half, 61-43. But a 10-2 FIU run over the next three minutes cut the deficit to 10 points. After trading baskets, Rice pushed its lead back to 15, but an 8-2 Panther run pulled them to within 76-67 with 7:34 to play. Rice, however, would not be denied as three-pointers by Peterson and Payton Moore gave Rice an 8-2 run to take an 81-67 lead with five minutes to play. FIU would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
The Stats
Rice connected on 52.9% from the field and 40.0% from three. FIU hit on 46.8% from the floor but was held to just 24.0% from behind the arc. Rice outrebounded the Panthers, 36-to-35 and scored 18 points off 12 FIU turnovers.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"I'm really proud of our guys. In the short turnaround against (FIU) and how they pressure you, it was just an unbelievable job of locking into the game plan. More importantly (was) being able to execute almost flawlessly. We just played with nine turnovers against one of the best turnover teams in the country. So, obviously, I'm really proud of our guys. It was a really resilient win after what happened Thursday night and what we've been through. This was a really big win for us and our program. I'm really happy for our guys."
Notes
• Rice improved to 9-8 on the year and 1-3 in Conference USA.
• Rice evened the series with FIU at 4-4 all-time but are 3-1 in Houston.
• Rice tied a season-high with 14 three-pointers, the third time this year they connected on 14 from behind the arc.
• Rice scored 50 points in the second half, the seventh time this year that they scored at least 50 points in a half.
• Rice connected on 52.9% from the field, its second highest field goal percentage this year.
• The Owls committed a season-low nine turnovers.
• Ako Adams led Rice with a season-high 19 points, while tying his season-high with five three-pointers.
• With five three-pointers, Adams passed Robert Johnson (1995-99) for second-place on the school's all-time list.
• Josh Parrish scored a career-high 18 points.
• Chris Mullins scored a season-high 14 points on a career-high four three-pointers with five rebounds.
• Drew Peterson recorded his second double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He also added five assists.
• Trey Murphy III scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and had a career-high six assists.
Next Up
Rice begins a three-game, five-day road trip next Thursday, Jan. 16, when it travels to Ruston, La., to face Louisiana Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by the ESPN+.
How it Happened
The game began as a back-and-forth affair, as neither team could string two straight baskets together through the first eight and a half minutes. With Rice leading 14-11, Trey Murphy III made back-to-back layups. After Ako Adams took a charge, he then came down and made a three-pointer. A minute later, Josh Parrish made a layup and Adams followed with a putback to give Rice a 25-11 advantage. After Trejon Jacob made one-of-two free throws, Drew Peterson hit Parrish for a dunk and Adams followed with his second three-pointer to cap off a 16-1 run and give Rice its largest lead of the game, 30-12, with 7:01 to play in the half. FIU went on a 13-6 run before Chris Mullins connected on two free throws. The Panthers scored five of the next seven points to pull within 40-30 with 19 seconds to play, but Parrish made a pair from the free throw line right before the half to send Rice into the break with a 42-30 lead.
Both teams came out strong in the second half. Adams and Mullins combined on five three-pointers in the first five minutes as Rice took its largest lead of the half, 61-43. But a 10-2 FIU run over the next three minutes cut the deficit to 10 points. After trading baskets, Rice pushed its lead back to 15, but an 8-2 Panther run pulled them to within 76-67 with 7:34 to play. Rice, however, would not be denied as three-pointers by Peterson and Payton Moore gave Rice an 8-2 run to take an 81-67 lead with five minutes to play. FIU would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
The Stats
Rice connected on 52.9% from the field and 40.0% from three. FIU hit on 46.8% from the floor but was held to just 24.0% from behind the arc. Rice outrebounded the Panthers, 36-to-35 and scored 18 points off 12 FIU turnovers.
What Scott Pera Had to Say
"I'm really proud of our guys. In the short turnaround against (FIU) and how they pressure you, it was just an unbelievable job of locking into the game plan. More importantly (was) being able to execute almost flawlessly. We just played with nine turnovers against one of the best turnover teams in the country. So, obviously, I'm really proud of our guys. It was a really resilient win after what happened Thursday night and what we've been through. This was a really big win for us and our program. I'm really happy for our guys."
Notes
• Rice improved to 9-8 on the year and 1-3 in Conference USA.
• Rice evened the series with FIU at 4-4 all-time but are 3-1 in Houston.
• Rice tied a season-high with 14 three-pointers, the third time this year they connected on 14 from behind the arc.
• Rice scored 50 points in the second half, the seventh time this year that they scored at least 50 points in a half.
• Rice connected on 52.9% from the field, its second highest field goal percentage this year.
• The Owls committed a season-low nine turnovers.
• Ako Adams led Rice with a season-high 19 points, while tying his season-high with five three-pointers.
• With five three-pointers, Adams passed Robert Johnson (1995-99) for second-place on the school's all-time list.
• Josh Parrish scored a career-high 18 points.
• Chris Mullins scored a season-high 14 points on a career-high four three-pointers with five rebounds.
• Drew Peterson recorded his second double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He also added five assists.
• Trey Murphy III scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and had a career-high six assists.
Next Up
Rice begins a three-game, five-day road trip next Thursday, Jan. 16, when it travels to Ruston, La., to face Louisiana Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by the ESPN+.
Team Stats
FIU
RICE
FG%
.468
.529
3FG%
.240
.400
FT%
.636
.750
RB
35
36
TO
12
9
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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