Courtesy of ESPN/NCAA
Ugly scene following an NCAA women’s basketball game on Thursday night … a Bowling Green State Univ. player was socked in the face in a handshake line.
The sucker punch went down just seconds after BGSU beat Memphis, 73-60, in a round of 16 game in the women’s NIT.
Broadcast cameras showed Bowling Green’s Elissa Brett got into some sort of argument with Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes … before Shutes reared back and threw a straight right at Brett’s face.
The punch connected flush — sending Brett crashing to the court. Shutes was immediately restrained by her coach.
Ugly ending to the night after Bowling Green’s Elissa Brett was hit by a Memphis player in the handshake line after the game. pic.twitter.com/9QLFdguB9f
— Kurt Steiss ⚔️ (@kurtsteiss) March 24, 2023
@kurtsteiss
Brett stayed down for several moments — eventually bursting out into tears. She was, thankfully, ultimately able to walk off the court under her own power.
It’s unclear what sparked the incident, after the game, BGSU head coach Robyn Fralick told reporters, “We’re still trying to figure out all those things out and what happened.”
BGSU, meanwhile, released a statement late Thursday night saying cops are now involved in the situation.
“The incident that took place following tonight’s home WNIT game has been turned over to the BGSU Police Department,” the school said.
“Bowling Green State University Athletics does not make comments about active police investigations. Our priority is with the health, safety and support of our student-athletes.”
Brett, a BGSU senior guard, was a key player in the Falcons’ win … scoring 15 points and logging six rebounds in 33 minutes. No word yet if she’ll be able to play in BGSU’s round of 8 game against Florida on Monday.