MTSU continued its dominance at Murphy Center on Saturday, but not without weathering a serious comeback attempt by Rice.
The Blue Raiders saw a 25-point lead and blowout in the making turned into just a nine-point lead before they finally pulled away to defeat Owls 87-73 before a crowd of 4,1014.
MTSU improved to 14-5 overall and 6-1 in Conference USA, while Rice fell to 6-14 and 1-6. The Blue Raiders have won six straight games and are 8-1 at Murphy Center this season.
"That first 20 minutes was about as good as we played," MTSU coach Kermit Davis said.