Rice had lost eight-straight to Houston prior to Wednesday night's overtime win.

The Owls erased a four-point deficit in the final 2:25 of regulation and dominated the extra period for a 79-71 victory.

They hadn't beaten the Cougars since Jan. 17, 2007.

Houston coach James Dickey has focused on building relationships with his players.

One of the first things the new coach did was require his players to sign the check-in sheet outside his office every single day.

"That was his way of having us come by and say hello," senior guard Zamal Nixon said. "That's how we started building relationships with the coaches."

"I want to see them other than in the afternoon when we're practicing or lifting weights," Dickey said. "We can talk about their day, their classes, their families. Our doors are open. Maybe we'll talk about something that happened in practice or a game, but most of the time it's just about them and how they're thinking."

Teammates are required to hustle over and help other teammates up after they fall as well as stand up and cheer whenever a player takes a charge.

Houston started hot and held on to hand No. 18 UCF their first loss of the season on Saturday night.

The Cougars jumped out to a 36-21 lead in the first half and held on for a 76-71 victory.

"We've got a dream here that we want to fill this place up," first-year coach James Dickey said of Hofheinz Pavilion. "But in order to do that, you've got to win big games."

It was Houston's first win over a ranked opponent since 2005.