HOUSTON (AP) Gary Payton II scored 19 points and Oregon State rode a late first-half spurt to a 77-69 win over Rice on Thursday night.
Payton was 8 of 11 from the field. Malcolm Duvivier added 14 points and Tres Tinkle 12.
For Rice, Marcus Evans scored 18 points, Egor Koulechov 16 and Marquez Letcher-Ellis 12.
After jousting back and forth with Rice for most of the first half, Oregon State went into halftime on a 17-6 run and a 44-33 lead.