Houston 59, Rice 48: Mikhail McLean scored a career-high 14 points off the bench as the Cougars snapped an eight-game losing streak with a non-conference win over the visiting Owls.

LeRon Barnes added 13 points while Danrad Knowles had 10 points and seven rebounds for Houston (8-12), which had lost 11 of its previous 13 games. The Cougars, who also received eight points and seven assists from L.J. Rose, shot 42.3 percent from the field and hit 8-of-10 free throws in the second half to overcome a 2-of-10, seven-point performance from leading scorer Jherrod Stiggers.

Seth Gearhart had 14 points to pace Rice (6-13), which has lost five of its last seven games. Bishop Mency had nine points while Max Guercy and Andrew Drone added eight apiece – with the latter pulling down a team-high seven rebounds – for the Owls, who had 15 turnovers to only eight assists.

Drone's layup knotted the game at 22-22 just 14 seconds into the second half, but Houston answered with six quick points which evolved into a 26-13 run over the ensuing 12 minutes. That gave the Cougars a 48-35 lead with 7:43 to play, and the Owls would only get as close as eight points the rest of the way.

Rice jumped out to an 8-2 lead to open the game, but Houston scored the next 10 points and led for the rest of the half. The Cougars held a 22-20 edge at intermission despite a 10-of-27 shooting performance, including a scoreless, 0-for-6 showing from Stiggers.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston has won four straight in the series, which has featured an annual matchup for the last 20 seasons. … Five of the Cougars’ eight wins have come against in-state, non-conference opponents. … Rice is averaging 15.8 turnovers over its last six games.