Men’s Hoops Travels to Sam Houston State for Final Non-Conference Road Game

HOUSTON — Rice will travel to Sam Houston State this Saturday, December 19, for its final road non-conference match-up. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed by the Bearkat Sports Network.

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Saturday's game with a 5-1 record after defeating Houston Baptist last Tuesday, 90-79.
• Sophomore Quincy Olivari leads the Owls with 18.8 points per game, which is fourth in Conference USA. He leads the league in field goal percentage (56.1%) and three-pointers made per game (3.8) and is third in field goal percentage (54.9%).
• Sophomore guard Travis Evee is second on the team with 12.0 points per game. He is also ninth in C-USA in three-pointers made per game (2.3).
• Sophomore forward Max Fiedler is one of two players in the league averaging a double-double, scoring 10.3 points per game while pulling down 10.0 rebounds per game, good for second in the conference. He also leads the team in field goal percentage (59.0%) and assists per game (3.3).
• Junior guard Chris Mullins is scoring 10.8 points per game while graduate forward Tre Clark is adding 6.2 rebounds per game.
• Rice is averaging 83.7 points per game, good for second in the conference, while allowing 67.7.
• The Owls are connecting on 44.4% from the floor and 34.4% from three while holding their opponents to 42.0% from the field and just 30.6% from three.
• Rice is also outrebounding its opponents, 43.3-to-36.8 while leading Conference USA with 16.5 assists per game.
• Head coach Scott Pera begins his fourth season leading the Rice men's basketball program. He holds a record of 40-61.

Scouting Sam Houston State
• Sam Houston State enters Saturday's contest with a 3-5 record. The Bearkats have lost their last two games after falling to 11th-ranked Texas, 79-63.
• Junior guard Zach Nutall leads the Southland Conference in scoring, averaging 21.4 points per game. He is also seventh in the league in three-point field goal percentage (37.8%), eighth in three-pointers made per game (2.1) and ninth in field goal percentage (45.5%) and free throw percentage (72.4%).
• Senior guard Demarkus Lampley is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game.
• Junior forward Tristan Ikpe is scoring 9.4 points per game and leads the team with 5.0 rebounds per game.
• Sam Houston State is second in the Southland in scoring, averaging 80.5 points while allowing 74.4.
• The Bearkats are connecting on 44.9% from the field and 33.3% from three. Their opponents are making 42.6% from the floor but just 29.5% from behind the arc.
• SHSU is being outrebounded 38.1-to-36.6. Sam Houston State is second in the Southland Conference in assists (16.4 apg).
• Head coach Jason Hooten is in his 11th season at the helm of the Sam Houston State men's basketball program where he owns a 195-136 (.589) record.

Rice-Sam Houston State Series History
• Rice and Sam Houston State have met 46 times, the 10th-most games played in Rice's 107-year basketball history.
• Rice holds a 35-11 record against the Bearkats.
• This is the first meeting in Huntsville since Dec. 1, 1993, an 83-64 Rice victory.
• The series dates back to the 1922-23 season when they split a pair of games at Autry Court.
• Last year, SHSU defeated the Owls in Tudor Fieldhouse, 75-61.
• Rice has won the last three of the last four games and 10 of the last 12.

Rice vs. the Southland Conference
• When the Owls face Sam Houston State, it will be the 78th meeting against the Southland Conference.
• Rice is 43-34 all-time against the Southland.
• This will be the fourth of five meetings against the Southland Conference this year. Rice defeated Incarnate Word in its season opener. . It also defeated Houston Baptist on Dec. 5 and Dec. 15. Rice will also host New Orleans on Dec. 21.
• This is the eighth straight season that Rice will face at least one team from the Southland Conference and the 14th in the past 15 seasons. Rice is 18-15 against the Southland in the past 12 seasons.

Next Up
• Rice closes out non-conference play this Monday, Dec. 21 when it hosts New Orleans. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be livestreamed by CUSAtv.

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