Disastrous first half dooms Boise State in loss to Charlotte at Myrtle Beach invite
It was a historic first half of basketball for Boise State.
But not in a good way.
The Broncos shot just 16.7% and totaled 11 points in the first half of an eventual 54-42 loss to Charlotte in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina.
Boise State’s 11 first-half points were one point away from tying for the fewest points in a half in program history. The record is 10 points vs. Fresno State on Dec. 6, 1980.
“In my tenure at Boise, I don’t know if I’ve had a worse offensive half than what we had,” Boise State coach Leon Rice told KBOI 670-AM in a postgame radio interview. “I think it even affected our defense.”
The Broncos (1-2) were 4-for-24 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, failing to score a field goal for the final 7:42 of the first half as the 49ers (3-0) closed on a 19-3 run for a 28-11 advantage. Boise State committed 11 of its 14 turnovers in the first half.
“Charlotte came out tougher than us tonight with a lot more resolve,” Rice said. “We missed some shots and let it affect everything we did.”
The ice-cold shooting didn’t extend into the second half, but the damage was already done. The Broncos shot 43.3% from the field in the second half and knocked down five 3-pointers after going 0-for-6 from deep in the first half. Boise State closed the game on an 8-0 scoring run, but it came way too late.
Sophomore Tyson Degenhart was the only Bronco to score in double figure with 14 points, while Marcus Shaver Jr. added nine points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
“We weren’t really making shots out there. I think we were getting good looks to start the game,” Degenhart said. “I think seeing some shots not falling rattled us a little bit and we just never could get back in it.”
The 49ers were led by 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore center Aly Khalifa, who finished 4-for-7 from the floor for 10 points to go with five rebounds and five assists in 22 minutes of action.
Boise State falls into the consolation bracket of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, where it will face Loyola Chicago. Friday’s matchup is set for 7:30 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
Broncos sign second player to 2023 class
Chris Lockett Jr. from Isidore Newman School in New Orleans signed with the Broncos on Thursday.
ESPN ranks the 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard as a four-star prospect, while 247Sports gives him three stars. He is the top-ranked player out of Louisiana, according to On3 and 247Sports, and the No. 2 prospect in the state, according to ESPN. He also had offers from Baylor, Georgetown, Grambling State, Houston, Jackson State, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt, according to 247Sports.
“Chris is a big, strong, versatile guard with a mature game,” Rice said in a news release. “He can do a variety of things on the court, but his best quality is his will to win — Chris is a winner. He is a great young man, and his versatility and size are going to be great fits for this program.”
As a junior, Lockett led Isidore Newman to an LHSAA Division III state title with a 28-5 record and averages of 13.4 points, 4.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.5 points per game, leading Isidore to a runner-up finish at state.
Entering his senior season, Lockett is averaging 15.4 points per game in 70 career varsity games.
At Isidore Newman, Lockett is coached by Randy Livingston — a former NBA D-League MVP and champion with the Idaho Stampede in 2007.
Lockett is joined in the Broncos’ 2023 class by Andrew Meadow of West Ranch High in Stevenson Ranch, California.
Women’s basketball: Broncos fall to UC Davis
Elodie Lalotte scored a career-high 22 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Boise State women’s basketball team lost 69-62 to UC Davis on Thursday in Davis, California.
The Broncos shot just 31.6% from the floor, including a 15.4% effort from 3-point range, and fell behind by as many as 16 points.
Boise State used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 66-60 with 44.1 seconds left, but the Aggies pulled away at the free-throw line to seal the win.
“I thought our post play was pretty good. We had a ton of offensive rebounds in the first half, which was good,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “We’re struggling to score the ball, and we have to figure that out. There’s some things that we’re going to look at and work on as we continue to improve.”
Boise State returns to ExtraMile Arena on Sunday to host Portland State. Tipoff is 2 p.m.
CHARLOTTE 54, BOISE ST. 42
Degenhart 5-15 3-3 14, Milner 0-0 0-0 0, Agbo 2-10 0-0 6, M.Rice 2-8 0-0 4, Shaver 4-11 0-2 9, N.Smith 2-3 0-0 4, NgaNga 1-3 0-0 2, Whiting 0-1 0-0 0, Young 1-1 0-0 3, Kuzmanovic 0-2 0-0 0, Sylla 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-54 3-5 42.
Milicic 1-3 0-0 2, Khalifa 4-7 1-1 10, Gipson 4-8 0-0 8, Patterson 3-8 0-1 6, Threadgill 2-9 0-0 4, Williams 4-7 2-2 12, Aldrich 1-3 1-1 3, Folkes 3-5 0-2 6, Braswell 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 23-53 4-7 54.
Halftime—Charlotte 28-11.3-Point Goals—Boise St. 5-23 (Agbo 2-6, Young 1-1, Shaver 1-3, Degenhart 1-7, Kuzmanovic 0-1, M.Rice 0-5), Charlotte 4-17 (Williams 2-3, Khalifa 1-2, Braswell 1-3, Aldrich 0-1, Folkes 0-1, Gipson 0-1, Patterson 0-1, Milicic 0-2, Threadgill 0-3).Rebounds—Boise St. 30 (Shaver 10), Charlotte 27 (Gipson 6).Assists—Boise St. 7 (Shaver 3), Charlotte 15 (Khalifa 5).Total Fouls—Boise St. 10, Charlotte 10.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 6:57 PM.
