Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Led by 17 points from Omar Prewitt, the William & Mary Tribe downed the Rice Owls, 69-65, in non-conference action at Tudor Fieldhouse.

For the Tribe (3-1), Marcus Thornton added 16 points and six assists, while Sean Sheldon finished with 11 points and six boards.

Seth Gearhart led the Owls (1-2) with 14 points, while Bishop Mency tallied 13 points and Marcus Jackson and Van Green each chipped in with 10 points.

The Tribe went into intermission holding a 38-30 advantage, as they shot an impressive 53.6 percent from the field, including 5-of-13 from beyond the arc. The Owls hit on 42.9 percent of their field goal tries in the first half and shot an identical 5-of-13 from 3-point distance. William & Mary started the half on a 13-1 run, but Rice rallied to take a brief lead with eight minutes left in half before the Tribe scored nine of the final 11 points in the period.

William & Mary was not as accurate in the second half, shooting just 40 percent while making just one of its five shots from 3-point range in the half. Rice shot 42.9 percent from the field in the second, including 4-of-12 from 3-point distance. With the Tribe leading by 15 with just under two minutes to play, the Owls finished the game on a 16-5 run but ran out of time in their furious comeback bid.

The Tribe had the edge in points in the paint, 30-20. The Owls got great contribution from their bench, as their reserves outscored their Tribe counterparts, 23-9.