Men’s Hoops Closes Regular Season against UTEP

HOUSTON — Rice closes out its regular season schedule this Saturday, Mar. 7, when it hosts UTEP. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and the game will be livestreamed by CUSAtv.

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Saturday's game with a 15-15 record, including 7-10 in Conference USA. The Owls have won six of their last eight games after defeating Southern Miss on Wednesday, 72-57.
• Sophomore Trey Murphy III leads the Owls with 13.5 points per game and a 37.9& three-point field goal percentage and is second with 5.6 rebounds per game. He is also tied for third in the league in three-pointers made per game (2.7).
• Senior Robert Martin is second on the team with 12.0 points per game and third with 5.4 rebounds per game.
• Senior Ako Adams is third on the team with 10.9 points per game and second with 2.5 assists per game and a 37.6% three-point field goal percentage. He also leads the league in free throw percentage (90.8%) and is sixth in three-pointers made per game (2.6).
• Sophomore Drew Peterson is fourth on the team in scoring (10.7) and leads the team and is eighth in C-USA with 6.7 rebounds per game. He is also seventh in assists per game (3.5) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
• Redshirt junior Josh Parrish is averaging 7.7 points on the year, but 10.4 points per game in conference play. He also leads the league in field goal percentage during conference play, connecting on 67.9% from the field.
• Rice is both averaging and allowing 73.8 points per game.
• The Owls are connecting on 43.4% from the floor and 34.3% from three while allowing their opponents to connect on 45.2% from the field but just 32.3% from three.
• Rice's opponents are outrebounding the Owls, 36.3-to-35.8 but the Owls lead the conference and are 12th in the country in three-pointers made per game (9.9).
• The Owls are also third in Conference USA in assists with 14.2 per game.
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his third season leading the Rice men's basketball program, where he holds a record of 35-58.

Scouting UTEP
• UTEP enters Saturday's game with a 16-14 record, including 7-10 in Conference USA. The Miners are looking for their fourth straight victory after defeating Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, 60-56.
• Redshirt forward Bryson Williams leads UTEP and is third in the league in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game. He is also sixth in the league in rebounds (7.0) while leading the team in blocks (24).
• Redshirt sophomore guard Souley Boum is second on the team with 12.5 points per game. He is also third in Conference USA in free throw percentage, connecting on 87.3% from the charity stripe.
• Graduate transfer guard Daryl Edwards is third on the team with 12.4 points per game. He is sixth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (39.0%) and eighth in three-pointers made per game (2.4).
• UTEP is scoring 66.7 points per game while allowing just 65.3.
• The Miners are connecting on 42.5% from the floor but just 29.4% from three. Their opponents are being held to just 41.6% from the field and 30.9% from three, which is second in C-USA.
• UTEP is being outrebounded by its opponents, 34.9-to-34.4 and is third in the league in free throw percentage, connecting on 75.4%.
• Head coach Rodney Terry is in his second season at the helm of the UTEP men's basketball program where he owns a 23-35 (.397) record. In nine seasons as a head coach, Terry is 150-143 (.512).

Rice-UTEP Series History
• Rice and UTEP will meet for 40th time overall.
• UTEP holds a 26-13 record in the series, which is tied at eight when played in Houston
• The Miners have won 12 of the last 14 meetings.
• UTEP won the first two meetings this year, 72-64 in Houston, on Jan. 23 and 68-62 in El Paso on Feb. 22.
• Last year, the teams also met in Bonus Play, with Rice coming back from a 20-point deficit to defeat UTEP, 85-81, in double overtime.
• From 1997-2006, the teams met as members of the Western Athletic Conference. Both teams have been a part of Conference USA since 2005.

Next Up
• Rice will open the Air Force Reserve Conference USA Tournament next Wednesday, Mar. 11. Time and opponent are to be determined.

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