Fultz, described as “day to day,” was out of action Thursday against Colorado and the Huskies lost, 81-66. Also: Malik Dime slapped a student heckler.
Freshman star Markelle Fultz, projected as a potential top pick in this year’s NBA draft, sat out Washington’s game at Colorado on Thursday night because of a sore right knee.
The Huskies lost 81-66, their sixth straight defeat. They fell to 9-15 overall and 2-10 in Pac-12 play.
Coach Lorenzo Romar said Fultz’s knee has been bothering him for a while and the team decided the soreness and swelling was too much for him to play.
“This week he wasn’t able to practice,” Romar said. “We sat him out. He was feeling a little better, but we decided to keep him out. It’s kind of day to day.”
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George King led the Buffaloes (14-11, 4-8 Pac-12) with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Derrick White scored 16 points as resurgent Colorado won for the fourth time in five games.
David Crisp’s 17 points led the Huskies, who also got 14 points from Noah Dickerson.
Fultz didn’t suit up after watching his team’s shoot-around from the bench.
Fultz’s 23.2-point average leads all freshmen and he’s the only player in the NCAA averaging 20 points, six assists and six rebounds. He scored a season-high 37 points in an 85-83 overtime win over Colorado on Jan. 18.
UW’s only senior, Malik Dime, walked up to a student heckler and slapped him, and possibly another fan next to him, in the face after the halftime buzzer sounded. Dime, a 6-foot-9 forward from Dakar, Senegal, was sitting out his ninth consecutive game with a broken right pinkie.
After the game, Dime spoke with the fans and smoothed things out, as reported by BSN Denver. He reportedly had faked a handshake before the surprise slap to the hecklers.
“I’m aware of it,” Romar said. “I don’t know anything about the details. I will look into it.”
Washington pulled to 68-61 on Matisse Thybulle’s three-pointer with 5:44 left. But an 11-0 run restored Colorado’s 16-point cushion.
The Huskies have to hope Fultz’s injury is a blip. UW appears headed to its first losing season since Romar went 10-17, 5-13 during his first season in 2002-03.
Washington visits Utah on Saturday. The Huskies lost 94-72 to the Utes last month. The Huskies play four of their remaining six regular-season games on the road.