Rice Takes on Houston Saturday

Rare double-header slated for Hofheinz Pavilion

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 5, 2009) Fresh off a 76-70 win over East Carolina and a break from midweek play, Rice travels across town Saturday to take on the University of Houston. The game is part of a rare double-header as the Rice and Houston women tip-off in Hofheinz Pavilion at 5 p.m. The men will play at 8 p.m.

The men’s game will be broadcast by ESPN 97.5 The Ticket. The women’s contest carried by KTRU-FM 91.7.

Both teams are coming off wins that ended each team’s longest losing streak of the year.

Rice, now 7-14 and 2-5, had lost four straight before Aleks Perka scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 76-70 win over East Carolina last Saturday. Aubrey Coleman scored 30 points as Houston went on the road to snap a three-game losing streak with a97-69 victory at UCF on Wednesday. The Cougars are now 13-7 and 4-3.

Coleman’s performance marked the fourth time in six games Houston had a player score 30+ points. The difference this time was Houston picked up a win. In the previous 30-point scoring nights, the Cougars were 0-3. Last Saturday, Coleman scored 35 points in the Cougars’ 83-68 loss at Memphis. Earlier in league play Kelvin Lewis scored 30 points in a loss at Southern Miss and a week later finished with 35 in Houston’s 96-90 overtime loss at Arizona.

Coleman and Lewis rank third and fourth, respectively, in scoring among Conference USA players.

Coleman is averaging 19.6 points and 8.0 rebounds. In Conference USA play his scoring average is 25.2 points. The junior also leads the league in steals averaging 2.47 per game. Lewis is averaging 19.5 points an outing.

As a team, Houston leads Conference USA in scoring, averaging 78.8 points per game and has a +11-point scoring margin. Rice is averaging 63.4 points and has been outscored by more than eight points a game.

Last week, Perka moved back into the starting lineup for the first time since early December. He responded by averaging 18 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 73.9 percent from the field in the Owls’ last two games.

Rice senior guard Rodney Foster’s status for last Saturday’s game against East Carolina was questionable. Earlier in the week he suffered a sprained ankle against Tulane. But Foster ended up starting against ECU and finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes of play. He is the only Rice player to currently average double-figure scoring, averaging 10.3 points an outing. Foster’s 4.10 assists per game (86 total) ranks seventh in Conference USA.

Houston has won the last four games against Rice and holds a 53-14 lead in the cross-town series which dates back to a 1972 game played in the Astrodome.

The Cougars swept a Conference USA series from Rice last year, posting a 69-60 win over the Owls in Reliant Arena then grabbing a 71-62 victory in Hofheinz Pavilion. UH has won the last three meetings played in Hofheinz Pavilion.

Foster’s six, three-point baskets last year at Houston remains a career high as he finished with 22 points.

Following Saturday’s game, Rice is back at home next Wednesday when it plays host to Southern Miss. Houston travels to SMU.