Recently, there’s been some shocking news from the world of college basketball. During Thursday night’s game between Southern Miss and Arkansas State, a massive altercation broke out on the court just before halftime. Let’s break down what happened and discuss the consequences that followed.
It all started when Arkansas State’s Emma Imevbore grabbed a rebound and got tangled up with Southern Miss’s Domonique Davis. Tensions were already high, and Imevbore’s actions caused things to escalate quickly. She appeared to push Davis to the floor and even threw punches at Brikayla Gray in front of the Southern Miss bench. This is when things went from bad to worse.
The fight spilled over to the sidelines, and Southern Miss’s assistant coach Jessica Barber was knocked over in the chaos. Can you imagine how terrifying that must have been for the players, coaches, and fans watching from the stands? I can’t even begin to imagine the fear and confusion that must have been going through everyone’s minds at that moment.
The referees were forced to step in and determine which players were to be ejected from the game. This caused a 23-minute delay in the second quarter, and during this time, things got even more out of hand. Several fans came down from the stands and got involved in the fight. This is something that should never happen, and it’s disappointing to see that it did.
Izzy Higginbottom & Wynter Rogers had 11 points each. But Arkansas State women’s basketball fell at Southern Miss 57-48.
2nd quarter fight resulted in multiple ejections.
Video: ESPN+
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— Chris Hudgison (@ChrisHudgison) February 16, 2024
In the end, five players and three fans were ejected from the game. Among those ejected were Southern Miss’s Asjha Leake, Lani Cornfield, Domonique Davis, and Brikayla Gray. Imevbore from Arkansas State was also ejected. It’s sad to see that this incident will have implications not just for the players involved, but for the coaches, fans, and teams as a whole.
Izzy Higginbottom & Wynter Rogers had 11 points each. But Arkansas State women’s basketball fell at Southern Miss 57-48.
2nd quarter fight resulted in multiple ejections.
Video: ESPN+
More: https://t.co/0DLMq5GnqY pic.twitter.com/XAEF5h9DE5
— Chris Hudgison (@ChrisHudgison) February 16, 2024
“I can’t really comment because I have to follow conference guidelines, I just think it’s very, very, very unfortunate. And I believe that every incident you have in life, you learn. You may not like the consequences, but you’re going to learn from them,” Southern Miss head coach Joye Lee-McNelis said after the game.
“And I think that – which we do not believe we should have done – it won’t happen again. It will not happen again. We’ve got to understand that every decision we make, wherever we are in life, will determine our future – whether it’s tomorrow, the next day, whenever.”
Despite losing three starters due to the ejections, Southern Miss went on to win the game 57-48. After the game, Southern Miss’s head coach, Joye Lee-McNelis, addressed the incident and acknowledged that it was a regrettable moment for her team. She also emphasized the importance of learning from our mistakes and making better decisions in the future.
