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Freshman-led Washington looks fifth fifth straight win

Nov 24, 2006 - 3:36 PM Eastern Wash (2-2) at No. 13 Washington (4-0) 8:00 pm EST

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Starting two sophomores and two freshman has been a double-edged sword for No. 13 Washington.

With a young team averaging a Pac-10-leading 22 turnovers per game, the Huskies seek their 10th straight home victory when they host intra-state foe Eastern Washington on Friday.

Freshman center Spencer Hawes scored 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting and blocked six shots - one shy of the school record - in Sunday's 83-74 triumph over Sacramento State.

Fellow freshman Quincy Pondexter added a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies, who turned the ball over 24 times after averaging 14.7 giveaways last season.

Pondexter leads the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game and is shooting 57.5 percent, while sophomore Jon Brockman chips in 14.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and shoots 61.5 percent. Hawes is shooting 65.5 percent. To offset the poor ballhandling, Washington, which is playing its fifth of seven straight home games to start the season, has shot nearly 52 percent this season. The Huskies have won 21 straight non-conference games.

Eastern Washington has won two straight games after opening-season losses to Gonzaga and UNLV.

Rodney Stuckey scored 26 points in the Eagles' 106-65 victory over Evergreen State on Tuesday. Eastern Washington shot 61 percent (33-of-54) from the floor and played without suspended starters Paul Botorac, Matt Penoncello. All three will play Friday.

Stuckey is averaging 25.5 points and Butorac chips in with 10.3 points and 12.7 rebounds.

Washington leads the series, 7-1, including wins in its last three games.