HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Egor Koulechov had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Marcus Evans hit three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and Rice held on for a 61-58 win over Southern Miss on Saturday.
Chad Lott scored 11 for Rice (13-8, 3-4 Conference USA), which led by as many as 24 in the second half before missing 12 of its final 14 shots.
Quinton Campbell scored six during a 10-0 run that pulled Southern Miss to 47-36 with 8:41 left and his jumper capped a 15-3 spurt to get within two, 55-53, with 20 seconds to go.