Launching in Houston

The defending Big Sky conference champions started their 2008-09 campaign by defeating the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas Saturday afternoon, 78-74.

The victory against Rice, a member of Conference USA, was the Owls 20th consecutive loss dating back to last season.

The first half saw the Vikings struggle offensively, shooting just 35 percent from the field and allowing Rice to execute a 13-8 run to end the half. However, the Vikings went into the locker room trailing the Owls by only three points at 36-33.

Defending Big Sky Player of the Year and senior captain Jeremiah Dominquez took over the game in the second half, scoring 10 consecutive points and giving the Vikings a lead that they would not surrender. Dominquez finished the game with 24 points and four assists including a 4-6 performance from three-point range

The game also hinged underneath the boards with the Vikings gathering 17 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 26 second-chance points. Junior transfer Jamie Jones led the way in his regular season Viking debut with 13 total rebounds and 13 points.

In addition to Jones, sophomore guard Dominic Waters, another newcomer to the squad, had a strong performance off the bench and finished with 18 points.