Conference USA Player of the Year Morris Almond scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half, leading Rice to a 77-74, come-from-behind win over UTEP on day one of the C-USA Tournament on Wednesday in Memphis.

Almond shot 12-for-21 from the field, 4-for-7 from three-point range and 3-for-4 from the line as the Owls (15-15) beat the Miners for the second time this season. Rice handed UTEP a 73-67 setback in Houston on Jan. 24.

The Miners' season ends with a 14-17 record.

UTEP took a 58-47 lead with 13:48 remaining on a three-point play by Maurice Thomas. A second later Stefon Jackson, the Miners' leading scorer, picked up his third foul of the game.

Jackson stayed in the game and was assessed his fourth foul with 12:05 to go. He went to the bench with UTEP leading 60-51.

The Owls continued to chip away and eventually took the lead, 70-69, on a three-pointer by Almond with 3:20 left. It was Rice's first lead since it was 42-40 early in the second half.

Jackson returned to the game at the 3:14 mark, but didn't score the rest of the way and fouled out with 1:12 to play. He finished with 17 points in 21 minutes, including 12 points in the first half. He was 7-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from the foul line. Over the last five games of the season, Jackson shot 64 percent (41-for-64) from the floor.

With Jackson on the bench, the Miners were outscored 19-9.

"It was a game that we gave ourselves opportunities to win," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "We didn't do the things you need to do to put a game like that away down the stretch. Missing some layups, missing some foul shots and having a couple of untimely turnovers will do that for you. You give a great player like Morris Almond a chance to beat you when you do those kinds of things."

UTEP led by as many as seven points in the first half and took a 39-37 advantage into the locker room. After Almond tied the game at 45 on a three-pointer with 16:50 remaining, the Miners went on a 13-2 run to seize the 11-point lead.

UTEP's lone senior, Kevin Henderson, scored 16 points in his final collegiate game. He was 4-for-13 from the field, 3-for-9 from outside and 5-for-8 from the line while adding five rebounds and two assists. Thomas added 12 points and five boards. Marvin Kilgore scored nine points, snagged five rebounds and dished out seven assists while playing 39 minutes.

Lorenzo Williams joined Almond in double figures for Rice, tallying 15 points with eight assists.

The Owls shot 61.9 percent in the second half, while UTEP cooled off to 32.3 percent in being outscored 40-35. The Miners shot 48.3 percent in the first half and 40 percent for the game.

The Miners were able to turn the tables on the Owls rebounding-wise, controlling the boards 38-32. Rice outrebounded UTEP 39-30 in the first meeting between the teams at Autry Court.

UTEP lost for the second time this season when leading at halftime; the Miners were 11-2 when ahead at the break in 2006-07.

Now the Miners will look ahead to the 2007-08 campaign, when they will return an experienced group of players -- Henderson is the only senior -- and add a talented group of incoming recruits.

"I'm very optimistic and have a great outlook for next season because of the players we have returning," Barbee said. "It's going to be a huge offseason for us. We showed this year at times that we can be as good as anyone in this league if we play a certain way. We showed at other times when we didn't play that way that we're just an average team.

"The offseason is going to determine how far we're going to advance as a program with these returning guys," Barbee added. "We have a great group of recruits and newcomers coming in, but the returnees have the advantage of playing under me for one year. They know the system now. They know what I expect every day. For us to win, any great team starts with mental and physical toughness, which starts in the weight room. We have some guys who need to get stronger and more skilled. You add that with a special group of recruits coming in, and I think the future looks bright for us."