Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Rice
Men's Basketball Downs Rice
1/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2001
HOUSTON (AP) - Melvin Ely scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds Thursday as Fresno State defeated Rice 69-58 in the conference opener for both schools.
Fresno State (12-2, 1-0) scored four 3-pointers out of five straight possessions midway in the second half as it built on a lead that had stood at 36-23 at the half.
Rice (7-4, 0-1) jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but the Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run with half of that coming from freshman Tito Maddox. The Owls cut the lead to five at 22-17 but Fresno State again went on a run, this time 11-0 to take a 17-point lead.
The Owls tried to make it close with a 9-0 run to start the second half but could get no closer than seven points.
Maddox finished with 13 points for Fresno State and Chris Jeffries added 16 points. Demetrius Porter had 14 points.
Mike Wilks led Rice with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. Erik Cooper scored 16 points.
