PROVO, UTAH (Novemebr 20, 2008) For successive games to open the season, Rice junior guard Cory Pflieger scored a career-high 17 points. Thursday's performance was part of an 81-76 victory over Cal Poly as the Owls opened play at Basketball Travelers Invitational hosted by Brigham Young University.
Pflieger helped nail down coach Ben Braun?s first victory at Rice when he rebounded a three-point attempt that rattled out for Cal Poly's Lorenzo Keeler and at the other end knocked down a pair of free throws with 5.6 seconds on the clock.
Rice evened its record to 1-1 heading into Friday night?s game against BYU. Tip-off is set for 8:30 Mountain Standard Time and the game will be carried locally in Houston on ESPN 97.5 The Ticket. The game will also be broadcast on BYU TV which is available on both Dish Network and DirectTV as well as streamed live at byu.tv.
Rice shot close to 50 percent from the field, made 11-of-19 three-pointers and outrebounded Cal Poly by 14 boards, but the Owls could never deliver the knock out punch. Rice had a 67-57 lead on a three-pointer by Lawrence Ghoram but Keeler answered with a three-point play for the Mustangs and later drained a three-pointer to cut the margin to 67-63 with 5:22 to play.
With 1:28 to play, Rice enjoyed a nine-point, 78-69 lead on a three-pointer that beat the shot clock. Foster missed a driving shot that didn't touch iron but Lucas Kuipers was able to rebound the loose ball and fed Foster in the corner for the trey.
Cal Poly would quickly answer the Owls? big bucket with one of their own as Trae Clark nailed a three at the other end of the court. Clark would then steal a pass from Rice point guard Connor Frizzelle. Clark would lead a break to the basket and Frizzelle was whistled for an intentional foul. Keeler made two free throws and on the ensuing Mustang possession got free for a layup that made it a one-possession game, 78-76, with 34 seconds to play.
Frizzelle made the second of two free throw attempts to give Rice a 79-76 lead with 30 seconds to play before the Owls held on at the end.
Keeler's three-point attempt as the clock went under 10 seconds rattled the iron before falling away and into Pflieger's hands.
Keeler scored 18 of Cal Poly?s final 26 points and finished with a game-high 20 points for the Mustangs. He was just 1-for-7 in the first half. Cal Poly center Titus Shelton finished with 15 points but had only five points in the second half as he got into foul trouble.
Behind Pflieger's career-high 17, Foster scored 16 points, had five assists and three steals while Frizzelle finished with 14 points. Freshmen Emerson Herndon and P.J. Bolte saw their first career playing time for the Owls, both scoring in the first half.
Following Friday's game against BYU, Rice closes out the tournament Saturday against North Florida.
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