A college basketball game between Texas A&M-Commerce and the University of Incarnate Word turned ugly as a brawl broke out on the court following a 76-72 A&M-Commerce overtime victory in San Antonio on Monday night.
Videos posted on social media show the teams lining up to shake hands when several coaches and players suddenly run toward one end of the floor where an altercation had begun. The scuffle quickly escalated as an intense shoving match moved across the court, and punches were thrown as several people fell to the floor.
The Full Incarnate Word vs Texas A&M-Commerce postgame FIGHT. Probably the worst we’ve seen this year pic.twitter.com/9P6rkHu6z9
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) February 20, 2024
Coaches for both teams can be seen trying to break up the fight and restrain their players, but several continued to carry on. One member of the Incarnate Word team even broke through a line of people trying to restrain players and had to be tackled before reaching the A&M-Commerce crew, re-escalating things as the fight began to die down.
A&M-Commerce players made their way toward the locker room while Incarnate Word players continued pursuing as coaches and other staff members worked to restrain them.
According to Yahoo Sports, the cause of the brawl remains unclear, but the ESPN+ broadcast noted that one coach had a bloody face and a “young girl” was injured.
Postgame brawls are nothing new, with the heat of the moment and the competition getting to several teams in years past, but this was undoubtedly the most significant this season.
The Southland Conference, of which both schools are members, issued the following statement:
“The Southland Conference is aware of the end-of-game situation that occurred between the Texas A&M University-Commerce and the University of Incarnate Word’s men’s basketball teams tonight. We will be working closely with both universities to review footage and issue an appropriate disciplinary action. Unsportsmanlike behavior is unacceptable in the Southland Conference and the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, spectators, and officials remains a top priority.”
The schools also released a joint statement following the incident.
“UIW and Texas A&M University-Commerce apologize for the behavior exhibited by our respective men’s basketball programs following the game on Monday night,” the statement read. “The unsportsmanlike conduct that occurred after the game does not reflect the values of the universities involved, as well as the Southland Conference and their member institutions. The matter is currently being reviewed collectively by the Conference office and both institutions.”
A&M-Commerce (10-17, 4-10 in the Southland Conference) will continue its season against Nicholls at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, while UIW (8-17, 3-9) is set to play McNeese State at 4 p.m. on the same day.
No suspensions or other disciplinary actions have been announced as of Tuesday morning.
