South Carolina-LSU women’s brawl leads to ejections, fan arrest, NCAA tournament suspensions

A brawl breaks out from the bench between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2 South Carolina during the 2024 SEC Women’s Championship Game. LSU This led to multiple ejections and an impending suspension in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The incident began late in the fourth quarter when the Gamecocks held a seven-point lead. South Carolina’s Milesia Fulwilly stole the ball from LSU star Frauge Johnson, who grabbed her from behind to stop the fast break. Johnson bumped into several South Carolina players as she walked to the other side of the court, then was shoved by USC star center Camila Cardoso. At that moment, the benches emptied and players from both teams began to fight. Johnson’s younger brother jumped the scoreboard (according to the broadcast) and was involved in an on-court altercation. He was reportedly arrested and taken from the arena.

South Carolina defeated LSU 79-72 to maintain its undefeated season. South Carolina enters the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 32-0 record. See the chaotic scene here.

Players who are penalized for fighting will be ineligible for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. According to the broadcast. That means Cardoso will miss the Shamcocks’ tournament opener. There were mass ejections for both teams, with LSU only having five players remaining by the end of the game and South Carolina having six players remaining.

Here’s another look at Johnson’s younger brother joining the brawl from the stands. ESPN announced that Johnson’s brother had been arrested..

Other than South Carolina’s Tehina Paopao, they were the only players allowed to finish the game for their respective teams. Everyone else was thrown away. South Carolina and LSU are the two favorites to enter the women’s tournament, and both schools will start March Madness with multiple suspensions.

Cardoso will miss South Carolina’s first game in the NCAA Tournament. She apologized on social media after the game, writing:

We will update this story as it develops.