College students brawl in closing minutes of Wagner-Bryant blowout
On Tuesday evening, Bryant males’s basketball workforce dismantled Wagner within the championship recreation of the Northeast Convention Event, sending the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Event in class historical past.
Sadly, that gained’t be the pristine reminiscence these in Smithfield, Rhode Island could have.
With 4:37 remaining within the recreation, a big battle between followers instantly behind the Wagner bench ensued, delaying the sport with Bryant main by 36, for a half hour. ESPN’s digicam crews solely switched to a large angle of the melee dwell after a commentator talked about the battle on-air, switching from a close-up of Bryant’s giddy bench throughout a timeout, peeking over on the pushing, shoving and punching.
Sitting instantly behind the Wagner bench have been Seahawks followers who made the journey from Staten Island to Rhode Island for the title recreation. Making up many of the remainder of that part of bleachers was the Bryant pupil part. It’s unclear what instantly began the brawl. While each groups returned to their locker rooms, local and state law enforcement officials rushed into the skirmish, inserting dozens of followers on the court docket.
On the 2:33 mark of ESPN’s video, focusing in the midst of the chaos, a person sporting a USA Basketball jersey may be clearly seen getting punched within the face and staggering for a number of moments, earlier than his nostril begins to bleed. A number of Wagner gamers needed to be restrained from coming into the battle, together with Seahawks guard Will Martinez, who made the biggest try and enter the scuffle and was ejected from the sport. No gamers from both workforce entered the stands.
According to WPRI in Rhode Island, a 20-year-old man was arrested from the incident and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer in execution of responsibility. Per Rhode Island State Police, that particular person was transported to police headquarters the place he was arraigned and launched. That particular person’s identification has not been revealed.
Earlier than the sport resumed, Bryant athletic director Invoice Smith addressed the gang, stating they may not storm the court docket, as is customary for mid-majors when advancing to the NCAA Event, till after Wagner’s gamers and coaches had left the ground. When the sport resumed, each groups ran down the clock with out an on-court incident with the results of the competition in hand. Most of Wagner’s followers have been escorted from the constructing for the ultimate 4:37 as properly. The NCAA and the NEC have but to touch upon the scenario, with the conference’s recap from the game not even mentioning the brawl.
