The Washington Huskies are now 0-2 in exhibition games heading into their season opener against Colgate on November 2.
The Huskies fell 84-80 to Washington State on Sunday, despite 28 points from Texas Tech transfer LeJuan Watts and a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double from forward Nikola Dzepina off the bench. Big man Lathan Sommerville also had 19 points and 4 rebounds, but Washington watched the score slip from a 62-62 tie with 5:46 to play to an 8-point deficit with 46 seconds left.
Washington got back in it, however, and the Huskies had an opportunity to tie the game in the waning seconds. Watts attempted a three-pointer to tie the game that was blocked by Washington State's Ronnie Harrison, however, and the Huskies left Alaska Airlines Arena
with plenty to work on before the season opener.
Watts and Sommerville started alongside guards Tayshawn Comer and Wesley Yates III and forward Steele Venters. Yates, who missed most of the summer with blood clots, replaced Dzepina in the starting lineup from the Boise State exhibition game but struggled, shooting 1-for-6 from the field and missing all four of his three-point attempts as he works himself back into game shape.
Dzepina, who himself was somewhat limited in Tuesday's practice open to the media, came off the bench and played 30:27, mostly in place of Venters, who played just short of 12 minutes. The Serbian has been touted as one of Washington's most improved players and should play a major role once the season begins.
The highlight of the night came early on, when second-year forward Jasir Rencher took a fast-break pass from Comer and dunked over Harrison to give Washington an 11-point lead with 12:48 to go in the first half. It was Rencher's only field goal of the game in 20:52 of action, but it's a sign that positive things lie ahead for the second-year player, who had to miss the second half of last season with a heart issue.
ON. HIS. HEAD. 🤯🤯
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) October 25, 2026
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Sunday's game also may have given Huskies fans a glimpse of what the rotation may look like come November 2. Only ten Huskies played after twelve did against Boise State. Walk-on guard BJ Roy, Australian signee Tristan Devers, and San Francisco transfer Ryan Beasley did not play in that game against the Broncos, but Roy, Beasley, Rutgers transfer Harun Zrno, big man Mady Traore, and freshman Lat Ford did not see action on Sunday. Some of those absences are due to injury: Beasley has been recovering from a concussion and should return Monday, per head coach Danny Sprinkle, and Traore has had to have his knee drained this offseason and will be on a maintenance plan likely throughout the season.
Devers and Brazilian signee Wini Braga played sparingly on Sunday, but it's possible that mostly has to do with getting those two up to speed. Sprinkle told the media Thursday that Braga, who was unable to enroll until September 30, is not in game shape from a conditioning perspective yet. Devers, who Sprinkle said the Huskies' internal data suggests is the team's best athlete, may be in a similar position despite being on campus a bit longer after playing only sparingly in both exhibitions.
What's clear is that Washington will have to be a team that rides the hot hand, which may lead to a higher number of starting lineups as players rise and fall through the rotation. Beasley is expected to start when he returns, but Sprinkle said that there will have to be times when he and Comer share the floor despite their size limitations. Could that come in the starting lineup after Comer played all but 7:01 of the two exhibition games combined? Yates is an entrenched starter from last season, but he only played 18:50 on Sunday and may have to come off the bench as he rounds into shape after missing so much of the offseason. Dzepina is a good enough shooter that he could share the floor with Sommerville at times, but that would also likely move Venters to a bench role. Once Braga is up to speed, he could change the math in the post as well.
On the wing, Washington will likely be all but forced to play whoever can knock shots down most consistently. The Huskies were 6-of-23 from three on Sunday, which included Yates, Rencher, and Davidson transfer Parker Friedrichsen missing all of their combined 8 attempts. Friedrichsen, Venters, and Zrno were all recruited out of the transfer portal for their shooting after Washington struggled from behind the arc last season; however, so the competition for those minutes with Devers and Rencher will have a lot to do with who can knock it down most often.
Washington faces Colgate on November 2 at 7:00 p.m. PT in Alaska Airlines Arena.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington basketball falls 84-80 to Washington State in exhibition
