HOUSTON -- Marcus Evans scored 26 points, hitting 15 of 16 from the line, to lead Rice to an 88-81 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night that gave the Owls their first 20-win season since 2004.
Egor Koulechov and Marquez Letcher-Ellis added 12 points apiece for Rice (20-9, 10-6 Conference USA) and Marcus Jackson finished with 11, including a 3-pointer that pushed him past the 1,000-career point mark.
Tied at 73 late in the second half, Rice got a 3-pointer from Jackson to spark an 8-0 burst that put the Owls on top 81-73 with 2:27 to play.