A mass brawl broke out at the end of Friday night’s clash between Saint Louis and Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic 10.
Saint Louis held a 19-point lead heading into the closing seconds, when a bizarre half-court shot prompted both benches to clear.
The Billikens were running the clock down, with victory secured, when Rams guard Nyk Lewis stole the ball and took a shot at the buzzer.
But as Lewis attempted to take his shot, he was pushed out of bounds by Saint Louis star Robbie Avila.
That proved the spark for the brawl, which saw players and coaches from both teams rush across the court.
Officials managed to stop the clashes escalating beyond a shoving match, before both teams returned to the court and Lewis converted three free throws to end the game.
A mass brawl broke out at the end of a clash between Saint Louis and Virginia Commonwealth
The Billikens ran out 88-75 winners over Virginia Commonwealth in Friday night’s clash
According to reports, Avila was penalized for a foul, while Barry Evans (VCU) and Jones (Saint Louis) were both hit with flagrant 2 fouls and ejected.
VCU’s entire bench was ejected, too, as were all but two players on Saint Louis’ bench. That meant that, for the final 1.1 seconds, the Billikens technically had six players available – with five on the court – and VCU had only four.
‘It was a real competitive game. Obviously, emotions run high,’ Avila said afterwards, per ESPN.
‘It got the best of us. It was a real close game. We’ve battled the last two games. There is no ill intentions between anybody. Just the emotions of the game. The competition. That’s all that was.’
But it is not the first time that a game between these two schools has descended into chaos. Last year, a brutal fight broke out in the stands.
Again, the carnage began in the closing stages of a Saint Louis victory, with fans brawling and the game delayed by nearly 10 minutes. That day, police officers and security staff intervened to prevent the violence from spreading.
