Danny Sprinkle's latest University of Washington basketball team came all the way to Idaho for an exhibition game and got off to an unusual start in a 109-91 exhibition loss to Boise State on Saturday night -- all five Husky starters fouled out.
Sprinkle went with an opening five of Nevada transfer Tayshawn Comer and Gonzaga transfer Steele Venters at the guards, and Texas Tech transfer LeJuan Watts and returning Huskies Lathan Sommerville and Nikola Dzepina in this no-counter.
None were on the floor when it was over in what was described as a closely called ballgame that didn't necessarily have a lot of defense to it.
"We seemed like a little out of shape, a little sluggish," Sprinkle said afterward.
Comer and Watts shared the UW scoring honors with 16 points each, while sophomore guard Aginaldo Neto topped the Broncos with 29 points and junior forward Pearson Carmichael chipped in 22.
The Huskies trailed 52-39 at halftime and couldn't get any closer than five points thereafter.
Sprinkle used 12 of the 15 players on his roster, going without USF transfer guard Ryan Beasley, who represented the Huskies at Big Ten media day last week, Australian guard Tristan Devers and walk-on guard BJ Roy for unknown reasons.
The 6-foot-10 Sommerville had 10 points and 5 rebounds, Venters had 6 points and Dzepina suppled 3 points and 3 rebounds.
Among the others who played, Davidson transfer Parker Friedrichsen provided 15 points on 3-for-5 3-point shooting, and returning guard Wesley Yates Jr. scored 11, though he didn't shoot well, hitting just 3 of 9 shots, 1 for 6 from 3-point range and 4 of 10 from the foul line.
Among the other UW players who got on the floor, sophomore Jaris Rencher had 8 points, Brazilian newcomer Wini Braga supplied 3 points and 3 rebounds, Rutgers transfer and Bosnian guard Harun Zrno had 2 points while returnee Mady Traore had 1 point and freshman Latimore Ford played but didn't score.
The Huskies shot 50 percent from the floor, hitting on 26 of 51 shots, and 11 for 27 from 3-point range, at 40.7 percent, plus just 60 percent from the foul line, with 28 for 46. They committed 18 turnovers.
"We've got to get in the gym," Sprinkle said. "This was our first time playing in an environment like this."
The UW has another exhibition game lined up against Washington State for next Sunday at home before things get real, with tipoff is at 1 p.m. The season opener comes on Monday, Nov. 2, against Colgate at home.
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