Apple Cup hangover or not, the Washington men's basketball team was losing by an inexplicable 13 points at home midway through the first half.

Then the proverbial light-switch turned on.

The No. 17 Huskies (4-0) closed the half with a 32-9 run, giving the Dawgs a lead they would never relinquish en route to an 83-74 win over Sacramento State yesterday at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

"Yes, we're 4-0, but at the same time it hasn't been necessarily smooth sailing," said coach Lorenzo Romar. "We just have to smooth it out and we'll do that."

Trailing late in the first half, Husky captain Jon Brockman took over.

The sophomore first scored on an up-and-under move, sneaking between the legs of an airborne defender, to tie the game. On the next possession, Brockman gave the Huskies the lead with another score.

The preseason Wooden Award candidate finished with 13 points and put an exclamation point on his effort with a crowd-pleasing coast-to-coast slam early in the second half.

"There was a huge lane — I kind of felt like a running back with a really good offensive line — and I just kind of hit the gap," said Brockman of the dunk.

The young Huskies admitted that as the season progresses, they are feeling more comfortable on the floor.

The improvement is showing.

Freshman Quincy Pondexter, who acknowledged he had to get over the "worst jitters in the world" earlier this season, led the Dawgs with a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds.

Spencer Hawes had 14 points on an incredible 7-for-7 shooting performance. His six blocks were the most by a Husky since 2004, and his first-half steal ignited the UW's game-changing 32-9 run.

"The game is starting to come a little bit easier now," said the freshman center.

The Hornets (2-3) were led by the 19 points and eight rebounds of forward Alex Bausley. The senior had eight points in the visitors' 29-16 run to begin the game. Guard Loren Leath added 17 for Sacramento State.

"The effort was great, but we still have a lot of things to work on," said Hornets' coach Jerome Jenkins.

The Husky free-throw shooting left something to be desired. Washington shot 15-26 from the line. The UW also shot a pedestrian 4-of-15 from beyond the arc.

Compounded with 24 Husky turnovers, Romar acknowledged there was much room for improvement.

"Forgive me for stating the obvious, but that was not a pretty win," Romar said.

Washington averages 22 turnovers a game and has yet to win the turnover margin in a game this season. Romar expressed trepidation about his team's ability to take care of the ball.

"That has been a reoccurring theme each game, so yes that's a concern," he said. "We don't know if it's a long-term concern or not yet."

Reporter Joshua Mayers: joshuamayers@thedaily.washington.edu