Men’s Basketball Begins Final Road Trip at UTEP

HOUSTON — Rice begins the final week of the regular season this Thursday, Mar. 3, when it travels to El Paso to face UTEP. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will be nationally televised by CBS Sports Network.

Game 29
What: Rice at UTEP
When: Thursday, March 3 at 8 p.m. CT
Where: El Paso, Texas
Arena: Don Haskins Center (11,892)
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: UTEP leads 29-14 (UTEP leads 17-5 in El Paso)

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Thursday night's contest with a 15-13 record. The Owls are 7-9 in Conference USA after defeating Southern Miss last Saturday, 77-72, in overtime.
• Guard Carl Pierre leads the team and is ninth in C-USA with 14.9 points per game while pulling down 4.4 rebounds per game. He leads C-USA in three-point field goal percentage (41.2%), is second in three-pointers made per game (3.0), and is seventh in field goal percentage (46.1%).
• Guard Travis Evee is second on the team and 10th in the conference with 14.8 points per game while adding 3.1 rebounds per game and 2.9 assists per game. Evee is third in the league in three-pointers made per game (2.9) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (39.9%) while connecting on 45.2% from the field.
• Forward Max Fiedler is averaging 9.9 points per game and is third in the conference with 7.8 rebounds per game. He leads the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 57.3% from the field and assists per game (3.5). He's also tied for fifth in the conference with seven double-doubles.
• Guard Chris Mullins is scoring 8.3 points per game while placing third on the team with 2.3 assists per game and forward Mylyjael Poteat is averaging 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds while connecting on 61.4% from the floor.
• Rice is third in the league in scoring, averaging 75.8 points per game while allowing 74.1.
• The Owls are connecting on 46.0% from the field and lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage (37.9%). They are allowing 44.8% from the floor and 33.4% from beyond the arc.
• Rice is outrebounding the opposition, 35.9-to-34.7.
• Rice leads the league in assists with 16.4 while placing second in three-pointers per game with 9.6.
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his fifth season leading the Rice men's basketball program. He holds a record of 65-86.

Scouting UTEP
• UTEP enters Thursday night's contest with a 16-12 record. The Miners are 9-7 in Conference USA after falling to UAB last Saturday, 69-66.
• Guard Souley Boum leads the league in scoring with 20.2 points per game. He's also seventh in the conference in both free throw percentage (85.3%) and steals (1.7).
• Guard Jamal Bieniemy is second on the team and seventh in the league with 15.2 points per game. He's also fifth in the league in steals (1.7), eighth in assists (3.7), and 10th in three-pointers made per game (2.4).
• Guard Keonte Kennedy is third on the team with 13.0 points while pulling down a team-high 5.7 rebounds.
• UTEP is averaging 68.9 points per game but is allowing just 66.6.
• The Miners are connecting on 42.4% from the field and 35.1% from three. They are allowing 44.4% from the floor and 34.8% from beyond the arc.
• UTEP is being outrebounded by its opponents, 36.3-to-31.8.
• The Miners are also second in the league in free throw percentage, connecting on 76.1% from the charity stripe.
• Head coach Joe Golding is in his first season at the helm of the UTEP men's basketball program where he owns a 16-12 record. In 11 seasons as a head coach, Golding is 174-156.

Rice-UTEP Series History
• Rice and UTEP will meet for 43rd time overall.
• UTEP holds a 29-14 record in the series, including 17-5 in El Paso.
• The Miners have won 20 of the last 25 in the series.
• Rice is looking to win back-to-back games in El Paso for just the second time in the series and the first since winning games in 2002 and 2003.
• Earlier this year, Rice dropped a heartbreaker in Houston, 72-70.
• 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 closes the regular season this Saturday, Mar. 5, when it travels to San Antonio to face UTSA. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be streamed by ESPN+.

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