GAME NOTES: The Rice Owls and the Texas A&M Aggies will battle for state bragging rights and a non-conference victory tonight when they square off at Reed Arena in College Station.
Rice opened the season with wins in seven of the first nine outings, but the last two contests for the club have resulted in defeat. On Monday, the Owls fell to Temple in front of the home crowd by a 77-70 final, and are now set to play a true road game for just the second time all season.
As for Texas A&M, it recently ripped off a string of six consecutive victories, but that streak was halted last Saturday with an 84-64 beating at the hands of the Florida Gators. The Aggies are now 8-2 overall, including 7-0 at home, and they have held their opponents to fewer than 60 points in every win thus far.
The Aggies own a 106-81 series lead over the Owls, and the most recent meeting took place in 2008. A&M has won the last three matchups.
Arsalan Kazemi has been a standout performer for Rice so far this season, as he is scoring 14.4 ppg on 61.4 percent shooting from the field. More than just a scorer, he tops the roster with 12.2 rpg and 21 steals while placing second with 14 blocks. The only other double-digit scorer on the roster is Tamir Jackson, who checks in with 14.0 ppg and 3.5 apg. The Owls are netting 78.3 ppg overall while holding opponents to 65.8 ppg on 38.5 percent field goal efficiency. In the seven-point loss to Temple last time out, Lucas Kuipers paced Rice with 16 points, while Kazemi netted 13 points to go along with 11 boards. Jackson finished with 11 points and seven assists for Rice, which committed just eight turnovers and earned a 17-13 edge in points from the foul line. Unfortunately, a 3-of-18 effort from three-point range did the team in.
Texas A&M is a well-balanced offensive team with four double-digit scorers in the fold. Khris Middleton has only played the last three games for the club, but his average of 14.0 ppg is impressive. Elston Turner checks in with 12.9 ppg, and David Loubeau adds 12.0 ppg. Ray Turner is close behind with 11.9 ppg, and he leads the squad with 6.0 rpg. The Aggies are netting 64.4 ppg while limiting opponents to 54.7 ppg on 34.8 percent field goal efficiency. Loubeau and Elston Turner both scored 20 points in the lopsided loss to Florida last time out, while Middleton tallied 12 points and seven assists. Texas A&M trailed that game by 25 points at intermission after a poor showing at both ends of the court in the first half. The club was outscored 23-7 from the foul line in the game and outrebounded by a 33-28 margin as well.
There is little doubt that the Aggies are eager to get back on the court after the poor showing against Florida. Balanced offense and strong defense will enable A&M to defeat Rice.
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