Broncos' Rally Too Late at No. 17 Houston

Friday, November 27

Houston, Texas

1:00 p.m. MT

Boise State

0-1,0-0Mountain West

Houston

2-0,0-0AAC

Boise St.

Houston

11/27/2020 5:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Boise State Postgame Quotes Boise State Postgame Notes

HOUSTON - Boise State men's basketball cut a 20-point second-half deficit to seven, but the late surge was not enough to overcome a slow start in a 68-58 season-opening loss at No. 17 Houston.

Houston (2-0) led 52-32 with 9:37 left in the game, but the Broncos (0-1) amped up their defensive pressure and turned it into transition offense. Boise State went on an 18-5 run, with 11 points coming on fastbreaks, to cut the margin to seven with 3:25 to play.

Redshirt junior Marcus Shaver, Jr. kickstarted the rally. Shaver, making his Boise State debut, scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and picked up each of his three steals in the period. He also led the team with seven rebounds.

Sophomore guard RayJ Dennis led the Broncos with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Both teams started slowly on offense, with Houston clinging to an 11-9 lead nearly eight minutes into the game. The Cougars used an 18-5 run over the next 7:15 to build an 18-point lead. Quentin Grimes scored 15 of Houston's 18 points during the run and finished with a game-high 25.

The Broncos were limited to 28.6 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, leading to a 34-19 deficit at the break. Dennis kept Boise State within striking distance with 10 points in the period.

Redshirt junior forward Mladen Armus chipped in 11 points and six rebounds in his Boise State debut.

Boise State continues its season-opening road trip Sunday, with a neutral-site matchup against Sam Houston State in the Southwest Showcase at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT/noon MT.