Leon Rice doesn’t get excited about moral victories, but he had reason to be proud of his Boise State men’s basketball team on Wednesday.
Playing without their leading scorer and with several other players hobbled, the Broncos had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer in a 73-70 loss to Illinois State in the fifth-place game of the Cayman Islands Classic in George Town, Grand Cayman.
“We were dealt some tough cards. It’s one thing to be shorthanded on just a one-game situation. ... It’s tough on the third day of a tournament where these guys are giving their all,” Rice said in a post-game phone interview.