Rice Reaches Century Mark in Victory

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 6, 2008) Cory Pflieger poured in a career-high 28 points while Rodney Foster contributed 21 as Rice defeated Texas State 100-94 Saturday in Tudor Fieldhouse.

Rice scored 100 points for just the 15th time in school history and snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 3-5. Texas State fell to 3-4.

Pflieger and Texas State?s John Rybak both got hot from outside. Pflieger was 5-for-10 from behind the three-point arc. Rybak, a transfer from Marquette playing his first season for the Bobcats, finished with a career-high 32 points, knocking down 7-of-12 three-pointers.

Both teams finished with 13 treys. The Owls shooting 52 percent from three-point range (13-of-25). The 13 treys tied for the third most in Rice history.

Rybak began the game by drilling four straight three-point baskets and had established a new scoring high by halftime with 20 points.

Rice led by as many as 13 points in the first half but Rybak would hit a three-pointer and make four free throws in the final two minutes of play as Texas State cut a 48-35 lead to six points, 50-44 at intermission.

Texas State would continue to narrow the gap in the opening minutes of the second period and would eventually take a 59-58 lead on a Rybak trey with 14:55 to play.

The lead was the Bobcats? only advantage of the second half as Pflieger answered with a three-pointer and on the Owls? next possession capped a fastbreak with a layup off an outlet pass from Bryan Beasley.

Rice would again stretch the lead to double figures and answer a late Texas State run with solid free throw shooting. The Owls made eight straight from the line inside the final 1:06 and for the game shot 88 percent (29-of-33).

In addition to scoring 28 points, Pflieger had five rebounds, three assists and three steals. It was the second straight game Pflieger established a career scoring high. He had 21 points in the Owls? game against UTSA on Thursday.

Beasley and Lawrence Ghoram each finished with 13 points for the Owls.

Brent Benson added 17 points and five assists for Texas State while Brandon Bush, a teammate of Foster's at Katy's Mayde Creek High School chipped in 16.

Rice breaks for finals and is back in action Dec. 17 when it plays host to Harvard. Texas State is at Texas on Dec. 13.