Quentin Grimes scored 25 points and Caleb Mills added 12 to help host Houston stave off a late rally by Boise State in a 68-58 nonconference victory on Friday at the Fertitta Center.

The 17th-ranked Cougars (2-0) extended to a 52-32 lead with 9:37 left to play on a DeJon Jarreau layup before the Broncos (0-1) made things interesting in their season opener.

Boise State hit 5 of 7 field goals during an 18-5 run, with two Marcus Shaver Jr. free throws cutting the deficit to 57-50 with 3:25 remaining. But Mills, the American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, provided a measure of stability following a ragged stretch of four turnovers with a layup at the 3:09 mark. Mills missed the Cougars' opener with an ankle injury.

Marcus Sasser added 10 points for the Cougars. J'Wan Roberts grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for Houston, which posted a 49-26 advantage on the glass.

RayJ Dennis paced the Broncos with 18 points while Shaver chipped in 16 with seven rebounds. Senior guard Derrick Alston Jr., the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year and a Houston native, was held scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting over 32 minutes.

The Cougars overcame a 1-for-8 start from the floor by forcing four Broncos turnovers by the first media timeout. Houston then found a bit of a rhythm, shooting 5 of 9 to build a 14-9 lead that culminated in a 9-0 run that extended the advantage to 20-9.

Dennis completed a three-point play that snapped an 0-for-6 stretch by Boise State to pull the Broncos to within 20-12, but the Cougars already initiated the rally that would enable them to seize control. Houston converted seven consecutive field goals to extend to a 32-14 lead, with Grimes tallying six of those baskets while scoring 13 points during the run.

With Grimes scoring in myriad ways, the Cougars carried a 34-19 lead into the intermission. Grimes posted 17 first-half points on 8-of-11 shooting to carry the offense.

Defensively, the Cougars forced nine turnovers, held the Broncos to 6-of-21 shooting and outrebounded Boise State 26-13 with eight offensive boards.

--Field Level Media