During the first half of the Cal men’s basketball team’s 70-49 blowout loss to Washington State on Thursday, it didn’t help the Bears that guard Patrick Christopher–the team’s second-leading scorer–bruised his left hip and limped into the locker room at halftime. He attempted to play in the second half, but the pain limited him to just five minutes in the period.

After the game, Christopher was clearly having difficulty walking, although the unfailingly upbeat sophomore said he was OK and waved off any concerned inquiries.

Christopher practiced Friday afternoon, but said he still experienced soreness in the area. Consequently, his status for Cal’s game against Washington on Saturday is uncertain. The coaching staff will decide on the day.

If Christopher is not 100 percent–or worse, unavailable for action–on Saturday, the game against the Huskies could very well be similar to Thursday’s debacle for the Bears. Washington may be on a two-game losing streak, but coach Lorenzo Romar’s squad very narrowly dropped an 82-79 decision to No. 8 Stanford on Thursday–at Maples Pavilion, no less. Notching a season sweep over a Huskies team that is determined to fight its way into the NCAA Tournament will be no easy task, and all the more daunting without Christopher.