On Sunday, March 10, 2024, one of the most important games in college women’s basketball took place. Louisiana State took on South Carolina in what turned out to be a very intense battle. They played to continue in the SEC tournament which ended in a tough loss for LSU and a win for South Carolina 72-79.

What caused the altercation?

South Carolina and LSU are rival teams and it is always a packed game when they get together. In previous games the results have been back and forth with the teams trading wins so fans are really eager to see it go down each year. The game was going well until the 4th quarter with 2:08 minutes left when Flau’jae Johnson attempted to steal the ball from MiLaysia Fulwiley. The foul was called and a teammate from South Carolina clapped in Flau’jae in an attempt to celebrate, Flau’jae pushed her off with her hand and that is when it all started, with Kamilla Cardoso shoving Flau’jae to the ground.

What were the consequences?

This led to six players being ejected and no bench for both teams for the rest of the game. Flau’jae’s 24-year-old brother ended up being arrested after jumping over the scorer’s table to reach the court, pushing down an SEC employee and stepping on her shoulder to get past. It was said that Milton briefly made contact with Cardoso before he was led away by the police.

What was the coach’s response?

“I just want to apologize to the basketball community,” Staley said. “When you are playing in championship games like this in our league, things get heated.“

Coach Dawn Staley apologized for the actions that took place during the game in a postgame interview and assured that is not a good reflection of her team’s character.