The few fans who attended Kansas University’s women’s basketball exhibition opener against Sparta Praha Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse wanted a firsthand look at freshman Lauren Ervin.

They didn’t get that opportunity. The 6-foot-4 Ervin — who some recruiting services rated as the second-best high schooler in the nation last season — didn’t play because of a thumb injury.

About 470 KU fans still found plenty of reasons to be excited about the Jayhawks’ outlook this season, though, and not just because of Kansas’ 92-66 rout of the 0-4 Czech Republic-based squad.

Two other newcomers — Kaylee Brown and Larisha Graves — gave fans their first look at KU’s added scoring punch this season, combining for 24 points.

Meanwhile, sophomores Crystal Kemp and Tamara Ransburg — on whom coach Marian Washington is strongly relying to snap KU’s three-season skid with a losing record — showed why their coach had so much faith in them.

“We showed that we could score with three players on the sideline,” said Washington, whose team played without Ervin, fellow freshman Sharita Smith and last-year’s second-leading scorer, Aquanita Burras. All were out because of injuries.

“I thought for the most part we did a good job of putting the ball up. Overall I’m just really happy that we finally got things off the ground and got the new players on the court and playing on the Jayhawk.”

While four newcomers added energy Monday, it was a familiar face that turned a sluggish game around.

Kemp led the way after a sloppy start and turned KU’s first contest into a no-contest by halftime.

Kansas University's Crystal Kemp loses the ball during the Jayhawks' exhibition against Sparta Praha. Kansas won its preseason opener, 92-66, Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kemp, who scored a game-high 23 points, and grabbed a game-best nine rebounds, connected on seven of eight shots in the first half and had 17 points by the break. Her presence down low more than made up for the Jayhawks’ struggles from the free-throw line in the first half, where Kansas connected on just 15 of 27.

A Kemp free throw gave Kansas a 33-27 advantage with a little more than six minutes left in the half, but the Jayhawks quickly increased that margin to 54-39 when they, for the first time, got going on offense.

“Last year we struggled, obviously, both on offense and defense, but especially on offense,” Washington said. “We couldn’t put points up, not enough points up.

“I don’t think that will be our big challenge,” continued Washington, whose team shot 64 percent from the field in the first half and scored its most points since a 93-42 victory over Puerto Rico Nov. 24, 2001.

The Jayhawks continued their scoring spurt with a 16-0 run in the second half that put the game away.

Kansas University women's basketball coach Marian Washington, right, talks to sophomore guard Erica Hallman in the first half. The Jayhawks won their exhibition opener, beating Sparta Praha, 92-66, Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.

“It was kind of like dynamite exploded in our minds then,” said Ransburg, who collected 13 points and eight rebounds. “We wanted to put the pressure completely on them.”

And an outgunned Sparta team, which was beaten 103-47 by Kansas State Sunday, never recovered.

A healthy mix of an inside game — including a six-point, seven-rebound performance by junior-college transfer Kandis Bonner — increased KU’s lead to its largest of the night at 32 with five minutes to play.

But an even bigger positive for a squad that returned all of its starters from last year’s 11-18 team was that Kansas knocked down three-point shots. KU connected on five of 10 threes, including three of four by Brown, who scored 15 points.

“Our team … anybody can score,” said Graves, a junior-college transfer who added nine points and a game-high six assists. “We got an inside game, an outside game. We feed the post, and then we got Kaylee Brown on the outside.”