KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2010 / SPORTS
3B
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Marquette wins big in Texas, but Fulce suffers knee injury
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILWAUKEE — Marquette players didn't feel much like celebrating a big win after losing one of their big men to an injury.
Freshman guard Vander Blue scored 21 to lead Marquette to an 86-59 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday, but the night was marred by what appeared to be a significant left knee injury to senior forward Joseph Fulce.
Fulce, who missed time earlier in the season with an injury to the same knee, fell to the court with just over 13 minutes left. He was down and clearly in pain for several minutes before being helped off.
Marquette coach Buzz Williams said he and the players were headed to the hospital to visit Fulce.
"He's got a shot knee," Williams said. "It been shot. I would say it's completely shot. That's all I know."
Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder had 15 points each for the Golden
Eagles (7-2), who took a 25-4 lead to start the game. Butler also had nine rebounds.
Crowder said it was difficult to listen to Fulce scream in pain as the crowd fell silent.
"I knew it was the same knee that he just came back from," Crowder said. "I knew it was serious. Then the screaming that I heard and everybody else heard really shut me down."
Guard Reggie Smith said it was hard to celebrate the victory.
"We weren't really excited about the win," Smith said. "We were more concerned about Joe. After our huddle, we said 'Joe' on three. He's a really important part of our team. If he can't play, of course we have to move on, but it's a big loss for us."
Blue was the Golden Eagles' biggest bright spot. He got off to a hot start, scoring nine of the Golden Eagles' first 14 points.
It's a big week for Blue, a fresh
man from Madison, Wiss., who will face in-state rival Wisconsin — the school he originally committed to — on Saturday at the Bradley Center.
"He's just so active," Williams said. "His activity on both ends of the floor leads to good things. I think he's beginning to have more comfort in using his aggressiveness within how we want to play on both ends, and that's really positive. And I think he's even going to get better."
Williams was less impressed with the play of freshman forward Davante Gardner, one of the players who would likely have to pick up the slack if Fulce is lost for an extended period.
"I thought he was really bad," Williams said. "He picked up two fouls in the first half, reaching in on a ball screen. I didn't think he was very good. I was glad he got to play, because he's going to have to play, especially if Joe's out."
NBA
Cleveland continues losing streak, drops game on road at Philadelphia
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA — Thaddeus Young had a season-high 26 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers 117-97 on Tuesday night for their fourth win in five games.
Lou Williams scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for Philadelphia, which placed seven players in double figures in its highest scoring output of the season. Jodie Meeks and Jrue Holiday had 16 points apiece, Andre Iguodala scored 13 and Elton Brand finished
with 12.
J. J. Hickson had 18 points for Cleveland, which has lost five consecutive games by an average of 22.2 points. Daniel Gibson scored 16 and Mo Williams added 15.
Young made 11 of 12 shots from the field and also had 11 rebounds as the Sixers bettered their previous scoring high set in a 123-116 loss to the Cavaliers on Nov. 3. He scored 17 of Philadelphia's 66 first-half points, a team high for any half this season.
Cleveland has dropped nine of 11 overall, surrendering at least 100
points in each of those losses
After a slow early start, Philadelphia (7-14) found its shooting touch against one of the league's worst defenses, shooting 26 of 46 from the floor and 11 of 15 from the free-throw line to build a 66-54 lead at halftime.
Cleveland (7-14) stumbled in the third quarter and Spencer Hawes made a 3-pointer with 2:27 left to increase Philadelphia's lead to 89-66. The Cavaliers pulled within 11 early in the fourth quarter on Gibson's 3-pointer, but the Sixers responded with a 14-4 run.
NBA
Charlotte beats Denver by two; Karl still one shy of 1,000 wins
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Stephen Jackson scored 23 points and the Charlotte Bobcats held off Denver 100-98 on Tuesday night to deny Nuggets coach George Karl his 1,000th NBA win.
Returning to North Carolina where he played in college and going up against his longtime friend and fellow former Tar Heel Larry Brown, Karl had hoped to become the seventh coach of the 1,000-win club in Charlotte.
The Nuggets nearly rallied from eight points down with 90 seconds left, but Chaucey Billups missed a tying jumper in the corner as time expired.
Billups scored 25 points and Carmelo Anthony added 22
points and seven rebounds for the Nuggets, who had won seven straight.
Jackson scored nine points in the fourth quarter, including consecutive 3-pointers to put Charlotte ahead 95-88 with 3:23 left. Boris Dlaw's bucket with 1:35 left made it 99-91.
But the Nuggets stormed back, and after Jackson failed to hit the rim on a 3-point attempt, the Nuggets had a chance to tie. Billups dribbled the ball into the right corner, but his fadeaway bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
It left the 59-year-old Karl stuck at 999 wins heading into a game at Boston on Wednesday.
Back in North Carolina where he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1972 Final Four, Karl understood
the significance of going for 1,000 wins here while coaching against Brown.
"I've talked about the karma of being here," said Karl, in his 23rd NBA season. "And of course Larry was probably the first guy that helped me be a coach."
But Karl had a quick replay when asked before the game if it was the "perfect storm" to reach the milestone,
"Or the perfect storm to get your (butt) kicked," Karl said. "One or the other."
Despite a near meltdown late, Brown beat his friend for his 1,326th win in the NBA and ABA, leaving him 10 shy of Don Nelson's record.
Brown had the upper hand on this night, giving Charlotte only its third win in eight games.