Mason Jones had 27 points when it appeared Eric Musselman was ready to let him take it easy on the bench for the last few minutes of the game. As Jones made his way past his coach, he held up his hands to indicate that he wanted to get to 30. Not long after, he was back in the game, doing just what he sought. By the time he was out of the game for good, he had himself a 32-point night and a heckuva start to the season.
Jones wouldn’t have beaten the Rice Owls all by himself, but he might have come close.