Tamir Jackson scored 20 points and Rice beat Memphis for the first time in school history, 67-52 Saturday night.
Connor Frizzelle added 12 points and Arsalan Kazemi had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Owls (12-14, 4-8 Conference USA), who had lost the seven previous meetings with the Tigers, including an 80-68 decision earlier this season.
Antonio Barton scored 14 points for Memphis (20-7, 8-4), which came into the game having won four straight and leading the conference.
Rice fell behind 3-0 before surging ahead with a 13-3 run and never trailed again. The Owls took a 35-26 lead into halftime, and the Tigers didn't get closer than seven the rest of the game.
Rice, which snapped a three-game losing streak, limited Memphis to 35.4 percent shooting and its lowest point total of the season.
