The Boise State men’s basketball team finished third in the Myrtle Beach Invitational after a week of downfall, improvements and building.
The team played three games in a span of three days in South Carolina for the tournament.
Game 1- Boise State vs. University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The Boise State Broncos took on the Charlotte 49ers in the first round of the tournament.
Charlotte defeated Boise State 54-42 in the opening round of the invitation on Nov. 17. The Broncos only shot 31.5% from the field throughout the game.
“Charlotte came out tougher than us tonight with a lot more resolve,” head coach Leon Rice said. “We missed some shots and let it affect everything we did.”
Sophomore forward Tyson Degenhart led the Broncos in scoring for the seventh time in his career with 14 points. Marcus Shaver Jr. led the Broncos in rebounds (10) and assists (3), notching nine points.
The Broncos held off Charlotte early in the first half with a 6-4 lead and 12 minutes left in the half.
The 49ers responded by making seven straight field goals to take an 18-8 advantage and went into halftime leading 28-11.
The Broncos improved offensively in the second half, shooting 43.3% in the final 20 minutes. Boise State closed the game on an 8-0 scoring run, but it came too late as the 49ers took home the 54-42 victory.
Game 2- Boise State vs. Loyola Chicago
Boise State came together for a 70-48 victory over Loyola Chicago on the second day of the 2022 Myrtle Beach Invitational. Junior guard Chibuzo Agbo had himself a night, tallying a career-high 24 points in the win.
“I knew because of the quality of the opponent, I knew we had to play a good game,” Rice said. “The team that played the good game was going to win tonight. We got clicking and that was the most complete game we’ve played hands-down.”
The Broncos were hot early, sinking each of their first five field goals to help build a 12-9 lead.
A five-minute Boise State scoreless run enabled the Ramblers to come back to take a 20-19 lead with eight minutes left in the half.
Degenhart scored four of his 12 first-half points to spark a 12-6 Boise State scoring run during the final five minutes of the half. This helped the Broncos head into the locker room with a 31-26 lead.
The junior guard knocked down four three-pointers in the second half, this helped open up a 60-37 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the half.
The Broncos never looked back as they cruised the remainder of the way to defeat the Ramblers 70-48.
Game 3- Boise State vs. University of Colorado Boulder
Boise State men’s basketball honed in on their defensive efforts as they picked up a 68-55 victory over Colorado.
Marcus Shaver Jr. and Naje Smith combined for 21 first-half points to help Boise State take control in the opening half.
After trading baskets with Colorado in the early minutes, the Broncos turned in a 15-6 scoring run, going 6-for-8 from the field during the run.
Boise State drew back-to-back charging calls in the final minute-and-a-half while Degenhart buried a last-second triple that gave the Broncos a 41-33 advantage at halftime.
Boise State’s defense came alive in the second half, limiting the Buffs to just 26.7% shooting from the field and 10% shooting from beyond the arc.
The Broncos closed the game shooting 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the final five minutes of the game to ice the victory.
“This is a credit to the guys we have,” Leon Rice said. “We tell the guys that we’re going to face adversity. That’s why we play good teams and play in these events because the adversity early in the season helps you and makes you grow.”
Marcus Shaver Jr. notched a 20-point double-double as Boise State men’s basketball picked up a 68-55 victory.
Additionally, this win helped the team solidify their third place ranking in the invitational.