Without veterans Noah Williams and Keion Brooks Jr. a mix of young and old combined to get a second consecutive win to start the 2022-23 season.
Washington shot almost 60 percent from the floor in the second half (19 of 33) to overcome a six point deficit at intermission.
Freshman guard Keyon Menifield led all scorers with 21 in his first start, 12 of which came in the first half.
The Huskies (2-0, 0-0) needed a strong second half from senior center Franck Kepnang and guard Jamal Bey who combined to score 25 points, almost half of the teams’ scoring output in the final 20 minutes. Kepnang, a transfer from Oregon, scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and missed just two shots from the floor after making one of four in the first half.
“He always reminded me of Isaiah Stewart,” UW head coach Mike Hopkins said of Kepnang after the victory.
“The passion is real. When you add him coming off the bench. Langston (Wilson) didn’t have a great game tonight, but he brings a great passion when he plays. He just has to execute a little bit better. But when you have that energy coming off the bench it’s just infectious.”
In addition to his 16 points Kepnang hauled down 10 rebounds for the first double-double of the season for UW. Fellow transfer Brandon Meah added eight points of his own in 17 minutes, all but four coming in the first half.
Washington return to Hec Ed on Monday for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Utah Tech aiming to start the season with three consecutive victories for the first time since 2017-18, Hopkins’ first season at the helm of the program.
