Rice (5-3) vs. East Carolina (2-4)

Islands of the Bahamas Showcase , Kendall G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium, Nassau, Bahamas; Sunday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Rice is taking on East Carolina in the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. East Carolina lost 74-68 to Kansas City in its most recent game, while Rice fell 71-59 against Liberty in its last outing.

STEPPING UP: The powerful Jayden Gardner has averaged 20.2 points and 9.7 rebounds to lead the charge for the Pirates. Tristen Newton is also a key contributor, maintaining an average of 10.5 points per game. The Owls are led by Robert Martin, who is averaging 11.3 points and six rebounds.MIGHTY MARTIN: Martin has connected on 35.1 percent of the 37 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 9 of 20 over the last three games. He's also made 73.5 percent of his foul shots this season.

FLOOR SPACING: Rice's Payton Moore has attempted 16 3-pointers and connected on 37.5 percent of them, and is 6 for 11 over the past five games.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Owls have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Pirates. East Carolina has an assist on 32 of 66 field goals (48.5 percent) across its past three matchups while Rice has assists on 36 of 69 field goals (52.2 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Rice as a collective unit has made 9.6 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-most among CUSA teams. The Owls have averaged 11.6 3-pointers per game over their last five games.

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