Referee Knocked Out During Women’s NCAA Basketball Brawl

What began as a tense moment late in a conference tournament game quickly turned into a full-blown scene on Wednesday when a fight between players from the South Alabama Jaguars and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers escalated and left a referee down on the court.

South Alabama ultimately defeated Coastal Carolina 80–70 in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament in Pensacola, but the game’s closing minutes were overshadowed by the altercation.

The trouble started in the fourth quarter when South Alabama’s Cordasia Harris and Coastal Carolina’s Tracey Hueston exchanged words. The verbal spat quickly intensified when Hueston attempted to shove Harris and swung in her direction.

Teammates rushed in almost immediately. One South Alabama player grabbed Harris in an effort to hold her back before the confrontation could escalate further, while another teammate and a referee stepped between the two players.

But as officials tried to break things up, the situation spiraled. A second referee moved toward the scuffle just as Hueston swung again, accidentally striking the official and sending them crashing to the floor.

For a brief moment, the referee lay motionless as players and staff cleared space around them. A South Alabama staff member and another official stood guard while medical personnel hurried onto the court to check on the injured referee.

The official’s condition was not immediately disclosed after the game.

When order was finally restored, officials issued a double technical foul to both Harris and Hueston. The pair were ejected, along with six additional players who became involved in the altercation.

South Alabama head coach Yolisha Jackson said afterward that the incident was not reflective of how her program wants to represent itself.

“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. It’s a very unfortunate situation for two talented basketball teams that have played in Pensacola in the tournament,” Jackson told reporters.

“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.”

Coastal Carolina head coach Kevin Pederson also called the scene regrettable, saying Hueston understands the seriousness of what happened.

“She’s an incredible model citizen off the floor and she knows she can’t act that way,” Pederson said. “That was extremely frustrating for everybody, certainly something we don’t approve of in this program. It’s nothing you want to see. You hate to see that in your last game.”

See social media’s reaction to the brawl below.