The Huskies sprinted past the Golden Lions in an emphatic beginning to the season
The Washington Huskies men's basketball checked off the first game of the 2025-26 season in emphatic fashion in a 94-50 win against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Monday at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
The Huskies came out of the gate slowly, and the Golden Lions stayed within striking distance in the early stages of the game. With 14:37 left in the first half, Washington led Arkansas-Pine Bluff 14-11.
The Huskies outscored the Golden Lions 27-7 the rest of the first half to take a 41-18 going into the break.
Washington only continued to pull away from its Southwestern Athletic Conference rivals. The Huskies outscored Arkansas-Pine Bluff 53-32 in the second half for the eventual final of 94-50.
"I thought we really played hard for each other and we continued to play hard defensively," Washington coach Danny Sprinkle said in a postgame interview Monday. "We really challenged our guys. Every possession matters and we have to build our habits this time of year. And I thought our guys did a tremendous job of it."
The Huskies entered this season with a nearly completely retooled roster, featuring just two returning players from last year (sophomore guard Zoom Diallo and graduate center Franck Kepnang).
Several of those performers had standout performances for Washington.
Freshman Hannes Steinbach scored a game-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting (1-for-1 from 3-point range and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line). He pulled in seven rebounds and dished six assists.
Sophomore forward Bryson Tucker posted a double-double. He scored 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting (2-for-5 from beyond the arc) and brought in 10 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Wesley Yates III had 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting, senior guard Quimari Peterson had 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting and sophomore guard Zoom Diallo had 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
The Huskies will look to improve to 2-0 on the season against Denver at 7 p.m. PT on Nov. 6 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
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