Dylan Ennis scored 15 points and Rice outscored Central Florida 46-25 in the second half en route to an 83-74 victory Wednesday night.
The Owls (16-12, 7-6 Conference USA) trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, when Central Florida (19-8, 8-5) shot 70 percent from the floor and led 49-37 at the break. But Rice opened the second half with a 13-2 run to pull within 51-50, and outscored the Knights 17-5 in the final 7 minutes of the game to rally for the victory.
Arsalan Kazemi added 12 points and eight rebounds for Rice, which shot 59 percent in the second half, and 53 percent overall. The Owls also got 11 points from Tamir Jackson and 10 from Jarelle Reischel.
Keith Clanton led Central Florida with 18 points. Isaiah Sykes had 15 and Kasey Wilson 13.
