Minor scuffles and confrontations are common in professional sports. But Wednesday's women's college basketball game spiraled into something far more chaotic, resulting in a referee being knocked out.
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During South Alabama's 80-70 victory over Coastal Carolina in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament, tensions boiled over beneath the basket, leading to a full-scale brawl that briefly brought the game to a halt.
South Alabama's Cordasia Harris and Coastal Carolina's Tracy Hueston squared up following a physical exchange under the rim. The confrontation escalated quickly, with Hueston throwing a punch.
Basketball Referee Knocked Out as Fight Escalates
Within seconds of Harris and Hueston going at it, teammates and officials rushed in to separate the two.
A second referee attempted to intervene as the situation intensified. During the scramble, Hueston lashed out again, striking the official and knocking them to the floor.
The referee appeared to be out cold, lying motionless on the court.
Medical personnel and staff members immediately rushed onto the floor to assist the official, who was evaluated before eventually being released.
"Well, first of all, our program, we never want to be put in that situation. And we never want to act out like that. So we don't condone that, what happened today," said South Alabama coach Yolisha Jackson, via The New York Post.
"It's a very unfortunate situation for two talented basketball teams that have played in Pensacola in the tournament."
"With young people, sometimes emotions run high. And as they go through their growth process and their maturity, sometimes things happen. But we always try to look at it as a lesson learned and make sure the next time that if we are put in a similar situation that we just respond a little differently. And so that's what we'll talk about at the hotel tonight."
