FAU hopes to bounce back against Marcus Evans, Rice

What: FAU (8-14, 4-7) vs. Rice (16-8, 6-5)

When: Saturday, February 11th @ 7:00 PM

Where: FAU Arena

Series: Rice holds a small 2-1 edge over FAU, including a 5 point victory in Houston last season.


TV: None

Live Video: CUSA.tv *FEE

Radio: ESPN 106.3



Rice Team Site: Here

Rice at a Glance:

Offense - 82.2 PPG, 48% FG, 40% 3PT

Defense - 74.5 PGA, 44% FGA, 33% 3PTA

Rebounding - 38.1 PG Team, 33.1 PG Opponents


Notables

Rice comes into Boca Raton riding a three game win streak with victories FIU, North Texas, and Charlotte. on Thursday, sophomore PG Marcus Evans lead Rice with 27 points, the highest point total for an individual player on that day in CUSA.

At 82.3, Rice is second in the conference in points-per-game, only 4 points behind Marshall. Evans paired with Russian big man Egor Koulechov have a combined average 37.6 PPG. They're fourth and fifth in scoring in CUSA respectively. Rice is also the best three-point shooting team in the conference, averaging a 40% success rate.



FAU at a Glance

Offense - 70.5 PPG, 41% FG, 32% 3PT

Defense - 71.6 PGA, 44% FGA, 35% 3PTA

Rebounding - 36.4 Team, 39.4 Opponents


Notables

FAU looks to rebound following their shocking defeat to North Texas at the Burrow last Thursday. The Owls shot an abysmal 23% from the field in the first half, a deficit that was too steep to overcome, even to a struggling North Texas team that has failed to close out games all conference season.

Adonis Filer is still the only Owl averaging double digit points with 10.1 PPG. Nick Rutherford and Justin Massey are tied for second, averaging 9.4 a piece.

Jeantal Cylla will try to continue his momentum following his solid individual performance against the Mean Green. While the team's disappointing loss to UNT could lead to more changes in the starting lineup, it is safe to assume that Cylla will remain a presence among FAU's starters.


Latest Line

Rice -5

FAU's going with the same lineup tonight, despite their miserable start to North Texas on Thursday.

#FAU's starting lineup tonight vs. #Rice:

G Nick Rutherford

G Gerdarius Troutman

F Jeantal Cylla

F Jailyn Ingram

C William Pfister

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

Another fast start for FAU's opponents. Rice is shooting at 60% while FAU's shooting 33%.

#Rice roars to a fast start and #FAU's struggling to keep up. The Owls from Houston are up 14-6 on the Owls from Boca, at 15:02 left in half

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

Rice is FINALLY starting to shoot towards their average. They're now at 37% while FAU has improved to 35% from the field.

#FAU is riding a 6-0 run over 1:33 while #Rice is on a scoring drought over the last 2:30. Rice's lead is tightening, 19-14 w/ 9:59 left.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

Rice's Marcus Evans has LOST IT, as an assistant coach restrains the CUSA 2016 Freshman of the Year. Tensions must be running high for the young star, and among others on the bench as FAU has taken over this game.

FAU'S ROLLIN'!

The Boys from Boca are rocking a 13-0 run over 3 minutes long. #FAU's up 21-19 with 7:57 left in the half. pic.twitter.com/0nccxEvTen

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

Where was this dominance in the paint offensively and tight defensive play last Thursday?

FAU is FEELING IT!

Rice calls a timeout after Cylla caps off an #FAU 21-0 run! FAU leads at the Burrow, 29-22 with 5:00 left in the half.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

Rice closes the half on a 7-0 run, but it's not enough to close the gap before halftime. FAU Owls with their best 10 minutes of play all season.

Halftime. #FAU leads #Rice 39-35. The Boca Owls utilize a 21-0 run to take the lead, but Rice ends the half on a 7-0 run to close the gap.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

FAU is shooting 44% in both FG and 3-pointers. Paired with just 3 turnovers, and thats a combination that can lead to victory.

We are lacking a bit on the boards with Rice having the 24-19 advantage, but that was expected with Koulechov averaging 8 RPG, making him fourth in CUSA.

Halftime individual stats for #FAU & team comparison stats vs #Rice:

FAU's shooting above their avg in FG & 3FG

Filer w/ game high 11 pts pic.twitter.com/Sv6UsojV3q

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

Rice is shooting 3-6 so far this half compared to 3-9 for FAU. But the Owls from Houston have had a good amount of opportunities on the charity stripe early this half.

Here comes Rice. With 15:40 left in the contest#FAU still leads, 46-45. But a 7-2 run has put Rice within one possession.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017

Marcus Evans is worth every bit of the hype y'all. He singlehandedly gives Rice the lead again.

13:43 left, Rice is up 51-48.

We cannot waste possessions on Rice, Marcus Evans will make you pay for that every time. The guard scores 10 STRAIGHT, giving Rice the lead.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@TheOwlsNest_ITB) February 12, 2017