Willie Kemp scored 20 points to help No. 7 Memphis beat Rice 99-63 on Thursday night and clinch its second-consecutive Conference USA title.
The victory extended Memphis’ winning streak to 16 in a row, longest in the nation. Memphis also has won 28 straight at home.
Memphis, which started the game 0-for-7 from 3-point range, ended up shooting 47 percent from outside the arc. Kemp hit four of his six 3-pointers.
Jeremy Hunt finished with 16 points for Memphis, while Antonio Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts added 14 each. Robert Dozier scored 10 points.
Anderson was also in charge of the defensive assignment on Rice guard Morris Almond, the conference’s leading scorer, and third-best in the nation.
He is averaging 27.2 points, but was held to just 15. Almond was 5-for-14 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds. Cory Pflieger scored 10 for the Owls.
