A conference tournament game in the Ohio Valley Conference between the UT Martin Skyhawks and the SIU Edwardsville Cougars got extremely heated on Thursday, resulting in a wild sucker punch that caught the attention of many college basketball fans.
The altercation occurred in the first half after a made shot from the Cougars. UT Martin forward Rifen Miguel fought hard to get in position for a rebound, which SIU Edwardsville player DeeJuan Pruitt clearly took exception to.
The two were then tangled up as they walked down the court for the next possession. This led to Pruitt taking a vicious swing at Miguel, connecting and spurring a wild altercation between the two teams.
Luckily the officials on hand were able to separate the two teams before anything got even worse between the two sides. The play stopped to review the altercation. Rifen Miguel, DeeJuan Pruitt, and UT Martin player Jalen Myers were all ejected for their part in the melee.
It’s very rare that a college basketball game gets this violent. Many took to social media after the incident to offer their take on the situation.
Despite being down two players after this incident, UT Martin went on to win the game and advance in the OVC conference tournament.
This altercation is certainly a costly one for UT Martin. NCAA rules state that players are to be suspended one game if they are ejected for fighting. Both Rifen Miguel and Jalen Myers were ejected, meaning that they will both be suspended for the team’s conference championship game on Friday against Tennessee Tech.
[The Field of 68 on Twitter] Photo Credit: ESPN
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.