Men’s Basketball Travels to Nevada for Ball Dawgs Classic

HOUSTON — Rice will make its first trip outside the state of Texas when it travels to Henderson, Nev., for the Ball Dawgs Classic. The Owls will play three games in four days against Indiana State, New Mexico and UC-Irvine. All games will be streamed at FloHoops.

Game 4
What: Rice vs. Indiana State
When: Tuesday, November 21 at 5:30 p.m. CT
Where: Henderson, Nev.
Stadium: Dollar Loan Center (5,567)
Television: FloHoops
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: Series tied 1-1 (First meeting on neutral court)

Game 5
What: Rice vs. New Mexico
When: Wednesday, November 22 at approximately 8:45 p.m. CT
Where: Henderson, Nev.
Stadium: Dollar Loan Center (5,567)
Television: FloHoops
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: New Mexico leads 6-2 (1-0 on neutral court)

Game 6
What: Rice vs. UC-Irvine
When: Friday, November 24 at approximately 3:15 p.m. CT
Where: Henderson, Nev.
Stadium: Dollar Loan Center (5,567)
Television: FloHoops
Listen: RiceOwls.com
Live Stats: RiceOwls.com
Series Information: First Meeting

Scouting Rice
• Rice enters Tuesday's game with a 1-2 record after falling to No. 19 Texas, 80-64, last Wednesday.
• The Owls are led by graduate student guard Antony Selden, who leads the team with 13.0 points per game. He's pulling down 2.7 rebounds and is connecting on 56.5% from the field.
• Fifth-year senior forward Max Fiedler is averaging 12.0 points, while leading the team with 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists, which is are sixth and second in the American Athletic Conference, respectively. He's also connecting on 70.8% from the floor, good for fourth in the AAC.
• Sophomore guard Mekhi Mason is averaging 10.7 points while placing second on the team with 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
• Fifth-year senior guard Travis Evee is also scoring 10.7 points per game while adding 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals, which is tied for ninth in the AAC.
• Junior Sam Alajiki and sophomore Noah Shelby are both scoring 8.7 points. Alajiki is second in the AAC in three-point field goal percentage (.545) while Shelby leads the league in free throw percentage (1.000).
• The Owls are scoring with 80.3 points per game while allowing 75.3.
• Rice is connecting on 45.0% from the field and 33.8% from three, good for third in the conference. Its opponents are connecting on 49.7% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc.
• The Owls are outrebounding their opponents, 35.0-to-34.0.
• Rice leads the American in assists per game (17.7) and is tied for second in three-pointers made per game (8.7).
• Head coach Scott Pera is in his seventh season leading the Rice men's basketball program.

Scouting Indiana State
• Indiana State enters Tuesday's nightcap with a 2-1 record after defeating IUPUI, 96-57, last Wednesday.
• ISU is led by junior guard Isaiah Swope with 19.7 points per game, tied for fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. He also leads the league in three-pointers made per game (4.3) is third in steals (3.0), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.591) and ninth in field goal percentage (.579).
• Sophomore guard Ryan Conwell is second on the team with 16.3 points while tying for the team lead with 6.3 rebounds. He's third in the conference with (3.3) three-pointers made per game and is connecting on 50.0% from the floor and 47.6% from three.
• Junior guard/forward Jayson Kent is third on the squad with 13.0 points and is tied for the team lead with 6.3 rebounds. He's also tied for third in the league in field goal percentage, connecting on 66.7% from the floor.
• Junior guard Julian Larry is averaging 10.7 points. He is tied for third in the MVC in field goal percentage (.667) and is 10th in assists (4.0).
• Redshirt senior guard Xavier Bledson leads the conference with 6.7 assists per game.
• Indiana State leads the Missouri Valley Conference scoring 88.7 points while allowing 73.0.
• The Sycamores are connecting on 55.8% from the field and 40.5% from three, which are both tops in the league. Their opponents are connecting on 43.1% from the field and 32.1% from three.
• ISU is outrebounding its opponents, 34.3-to-33.0.
• Indiana State also leads the MVC in assists (20.3) and three-pointers per game (10.7).
• Head coach Josh Schertz is in his third season leading the Indiana State men's basketball program, where he holds a 36-34 record. In 16 years as a head coach, he is 373-103.

Rice-Indiana State Series History
• Rice and Indiana State will meet for the first time since 1989 and just the third time ever.
• The series is tied at one, with each team winning on their home floor.
• This is the first meeting on a neutral court.

Scouting New Mexico
• New Mexico enters the Ball Dawgs Classic with a 2-1 record after defeating UT-Arlington, 82-80, last Thursday.
• UNM is led by sophomore guard Donovan Dent with 17.3 points per game, tied for seventh in the Mountain West Conference. He is also tied for second in the league in steals (2.0) and is seventh in assists (5.3).
• Senior guard Jamal Mashburn, Jr. is second on the team and ninth in the conference with 17.0 points.
• Freshman forward JT Toppin is third on the squad with 11.3 points. He leads the team and is fourth in the league in rebounding, pulling down 8.3 boards per game while also placing third in field goal percentage (.652) and seventh in blocks (1.3).
• Senior center Nelly Joseph is tied for eighth in the conference with 7.7 rebounds.
• New Mexico is scoring 77.3 points while allowing 69.0.
• The Lobos are connecting on 41.9% from the field and 33.3% from three. Their opponents are connecting on 39.9% from the field and 25.0% from three, which is second in the Mountain West.
• UNM is outrebounding its opponents, 42.0-to-41.0.
• Indiana State also leads the MVC in assists (20.3) and three-pointers per game (10.7).
• Head coach Richard Pitino is in his third season leading the New Mexico men's basketball program, where he holds a 37-32 record. In 12 years as a head coach, he is 196-169.

Rice-New Mexico Series History
• Rice and New Mexico will meet for the fourth time in the last eight years and just the ninth time overall.
• The Lobos hold a 6-2 advantage in the series and have won the last two.
• This will be just the second meeting on a neutral court. Rice lost, 51-49, in the second round of the 1999 WAC Tournament, which was also held in Las Vegas.
• Four of the seven meetings came while the schools were members of the Western Athletic Conference.

Scouting UC-Irvine
• UC-Irvine enters the Ball Dawgs Classic with a 3-1 record after defeating Occidental College, 111-51, last Friday.
• UCI is led by senior guard Andre Henry with 13.0 points per game. He is also second on the team with 4.3 rebounds and is second in the Big West Conference with 2.3 steals.
• Redshirt senior guard Justin Hohn is second on the squad with 12.8 points and is ninth in the conference in field goal percentage, connecting on 51.3%.
• Redshirt junior forward Devin Tillis is averaging 10.8 points. He is third in the league in field goal percentage (.846) and is tied for fourth in rebounds (7.5).
• Junior center Bent Leuchten is scoring 10.0 points per game.
• Fifth-year senior guard Pierre Crockrell II is second in the league with 6.3 assists per game.
• UC-Irvine is scoring 84.0 points while allowing a league-low 64.3.
• The Anteaters are connecting on 49.6% from the field and 33.7% from three. Their opponents are connecting on 38.5% from the field and 28.0% from three, which are both second in the Big West.
• UCI is outrebounding its opponents, 38.8-to-32.0.
• UC-Irvine also leads the Big West in assists (19.8) and is second in steals (8.0).
• Head coach Russell Turner is in his 14th season leading the UC-Irvine men's basketball program, where he holds a 266-170 record.

Rice-UC-Irvine Series History
• This will be the first ever meeting between Rice and UC-Irvine.

Next Up
• Following the Ball Dawgs Classic, Rice returns to Houston for a two-game homestand, beginning, Thursday, Nov. 30, against UT-Martin. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed by ESPN+.

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