Boise State’s offense goes quiet in home Mountain West loss to Grand Canyon

The Boise State men’s basketball team dropped to 1-3 in Mountain West play on Wednesday with a lethargic 75-58 home loss to Grand Canyon.

The Broncos (9-6, 1-3) trailed 37-27 at halftime and fell behind 47-29 early in the second half. Boise State rallied back to trim the deficit to four points, but the Lopes (9-5, 2-1) pulled away down the stretch before a sparse crowd at ExtraMile Arena.

Here are three takeaways from Boise State’s second straight MWC loss.

Broncos tinker with starting lineup

Following three straight slow offensive starts to open MWC play, the Broncos went with a new starting five against the Lopes.

Freshman guard Aginaldo Neto and senior center Dominic Parolin both made their first starts in a Boise State uniform, joining point guard Dylan Andrews and forwards Javan Buchanan and Andrew Meadow. Regular starters RJ Keene II and Drew Fielder both came off the bench.

The lineup change didn’t work as the Broncos fell behind 8-0 early — all eight points coming from Grand Canyon center Efe Demirel — while starting 0 for 4 from the floor with a turnover. Fielder and Pearson Carmichael checked in just before the 16-minute timeout.

The same group started the second half as the Lopes scored the first five points to extend their lead to 42-27.

Boise State head coach Leon Rice will likely go back to the drawing board for Saturday’s showdown with Utah State (13-1, 4-0).

Three-point shooting woes continue

For the second straight year, Boise State has struggled to make shots from beyond the arc.

The Broncos entered Wednesday’s game shooting 33.6 percent on three-pointers, ranking No. 198 nationally.

Boise State went 4 of 19 (21.1 percent) from long range against the Lopes and 17 of 49 (34.7 percent) overall.

If the Broncos are going to turn things around, the team’s three-point shooting must improve.

Season on the line Saturday?

Boise State entered Wednesday’s game against Grand Canyon firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

The Broncos stubbed their toe against the Lopes ahead of a critical home matchup with MWC-leading Utah State on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain time at ExtraMile Arena.

The red-hot Aggies are on a six-game winning streak but have faced the bottom of the MWC standings: Colorado State (10-5, 1-3), Fresno State (7-8, 1-3), Air Force (3-12, 0-4) and San Jose State (5-10, 0-4).

Boise State, meanwhile, has already played three of the top four teams: San Diego State (10-4, 4-0), Nevada (11-4, 3-1) and New Mexico (12-3). The Broncos dropped road games to Nevada and San Diego State while defeating the Lobos at home.

Sitting at 1-3 in MWC play, the Broncos need a victory over the Aggies on Saturday to keep their slim at-large hopes alive.