Despite Danny Sprinkle’s denial, the Washington men’s basketball team needed to navigate a dangerous trap game Thursday night.
How else would you describe a low-energy, nonconference contest against visiting Denver at Alaska Airlines Arena?
The Huskies were coming off their most lopsided win in eight years — a 44-point blowout in Monday’s opener — and favored by 27.5 points against the Pioneers, who suffered a double-digit defeat in their opener.
No one would blame Washington for overlooking Denver considering its upcoming measuring-stick and nationally televised ESPN game at Baylor on Sunday.
Considering the backdrop, the Huskies were fortunate to shake off a sluggish first half and pull away in the final minutes for a hard-fought 84-70 win in front of a late-arriving and mostly dormant crowd of 5,134.
“I know we didn't overlook them,” said Sprinkle, the UW coach. “We made it clear. If you look around the country at some of the teams that have been upset, and we pointed that out to our team.
“Denver is very capable. They just made shots. Denver's got good players. I thought they kept themselves in the game and obviously we have to be able to put our foot on their neck. When we're playing well offensively, we have to get stops. And a couple of those times we were either trading baskets or we'd miss a layup and they'd hit a three, and that's why we couldn't extend it.”
Washington led by 17 points early in the second half, but had difficulty putting away Denver, which trimmed its deficit to 70-63 in the final six minutes.
In need of someone to take the reins of the offense and close out the game, Zoom Diallo came off the bench and went to work. The sophomore guard attacked the rim for a layup, drew fouls that resulted in free throws and made a nice interior pass to Bryson Tucker for a baseline jumper.
Denver went scoreless for three minutes and Diallo capped the decisive 12-0 run with a driving layup that put Washington ahead 82-63 with 3:10 left.
The Pioneers shot 68.4% on field goals (13 of 19) in the first 14 minutes of the second half to pull within seven. However, the Huskies turned up their defensive intensity down the stretch while Denver missed seven of its final 10 attempts.
“It all starts with defense, Sprinkle said. We have to defend, rebound and run, and when we do that and share the basketball, that's when we're our best.”
Freshman forward Hannes Steinbach finished with his first collegiate double-double (13 points and 16 rebounds) and shared team-high scoring honors with sophomore guard Wesley Yates III, who had 13 points.
Diallo tallied 12 points, four rebounds and four assists while Mandaquit had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Tucker added 11 points and seven rebounds. Lathan Sommerville and Peterson each chipped in 11 points.
The Huskies, who shot 50.8% from the field and 35% on three-pointers, had seven players score in double figures — the most since 2010.
“It feels amazing knowing anybody can put the ball in the basket,” said Yates, who converted six of 10 shots. “It takes a lot of pressure off of everybody just knowing you can go out there and play freely. You can move the ball a lot, and just knowing that your teammates always got your back (and) knowing that the burden is not going to always be on one person.
“Knowing it can be anybody's night, and knowing that everybody plays selfless. So, we all know the ball is going to come back around, regardless of what five is in the game. So, I feel like mentally it helps us more than anything to prepare because we know what we're about and we know what it takes to win.”
Denver (0-2) received a game-high 23 points from senior forward Logan Kinsey, who torched UW with 8-for-12 shooting.
Washington (2-0) rides a wave of momentum for its first road trip and first-ever game in Waco, Texas at Foster Pavilion to face the Bears (1-0). Led by star freshman Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor revamped a team that finished 20-15 and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
“We're definitely ready,” Sommerville said. “We're ready to step up to the challenge. I feel like as a program, from the head guy all the way to the bottom, we're ready as a group.”
Notes:
— Sophomore forward Christian Nitu was not with the team Thursday for undisclosed reasons. He did not play in Monday's season opener and is considering redshirting, Sprinkle said.
— Senior guard Desmond Claude (ankle) missed his second straight game. He has not been cleared to practice and Sprinkle was uncertain if he’d be available Sunday.
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