Michael Craig scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Southern Miss past Rice 84-62 Thursday night.
Nizar Kapic hit a 3-pointer with 10:55 remaining to pull Rice within nine before Southern Miss (15-3, 2-1 Conference USA) used a 12-4 run to blow the game open. The Golden Eagles also scored 12 of the game's final 15 points.
Rice scored just three points in the final 5 minutes of play. The Owls (5-11, 0-3) made just 1 of 7 field goals and committed two turnovers over that span.
Aaron Brown finished with 15 points and eight rebounds while Neil Watson had 12 points and six assists. Daveon Boardingham added 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Southern Miss, which shot 52 percent from the field and made 10 of 20 3-point attempts. The Golden Eagles held a 43-20 rebounding advantage.
Max Guercy led Rice with 15 points.
