the Rice Thresher

Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Lauren Schoeffler Sophomore center Trey Stanton shoots over a UTEP defender Wednesday night. The Owls' loss to UTEP brings them to 3-8 in C-USA games.

For the second time this season, the men's basketball team lost on a game-winning shot in the final seconds. This time it was not a layup, however, but a three-pointer in overtime from several feet beyond the arc that doomed Rice's hopes for its first Conference USA road victory.

The Owls (8-16, 3-7 C-USA) have struggled mightily on the road this season in conference play, losing by an average of 22.5 points per game, with the team accumulating the majority of that deficit in the first half. Last Saturday's 91-88 road loss at the hands of East Carolina University was a different story, but, unfortunately, that makes no difference in the loss column.

Two weeks ago, Rice took advantage of the short crosstown road trip to play the University of Houston (16-7, 7-3 C-USA) to a standstill in the first half, something they managed to do again last weekend against the Pirates (13-12, 5-7 C-USA). The Owls took the lead at halftime 42-40, and although Rice was down for the majority of the second half, ECU could never expand its lead past seven-points, a margin they held for a just a few seconds.

With 11.3 seconds left in regulation, senior guard Rodney Foster nailed a three-pointer that tied the game at 80-80. After a miss by Pirate guard Brock Young with five seconds left, junior forward Lawrence Ghoram received the outlet pass from sophomore center Trey Stanton and drove the length of the court but lost his handle on the ball as the buzzer sounded.

In overtime the Owls held an 88- 84 lead with 1:45 left but were able to get off just one more shot attempt the rest of the game.

The Pirates made two foul shots, grabbed a defensive rebound and hit a jumper after draining thirty seconds off the shot clock to tie the game at 88-88 with 31 seconds left.

With the shot clock turned off, Rice got the ball back needing only to run down the clock and find the hot hand of Foster or Stanton inside for the go-ahead bucket.

Instead, just four seconds into the Owls possession, the Pirate's Sam Hinnant stripped freshman guard Connor Frizzelle of the ball on the perimeter before the Owls had a chance to set up their final offensive set.

Continued...

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