HOUSTON -- Freshman Dedric Boyd sank three free throws with five seconds left to help Eastern Kentucky beat Rice 73-72 on Friday night in a season opener.
Trailing 72-70, Boyd got his defender in the air and drew a foul while shooting behind the 3-point line. He buried all three free throws to give the Colonels their first lead of the game.
Eastern got a stop at the other end to seal it.
Nick Mayo led all players with 25 points for EKU, while also grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds. It was his sixth-career double-double.