A Sun Belt women’s basketball tournament game took a scary turn when a fight broke out late in the matchup — and one referee ended up down on the floor, not moving.
With 5:39 left in Wednesday’s second-round clash between No. 12 seed South Alabama and No. 9 seed Coastal Carolina, tensions boiled over as players battled for position in the paint. South Alabama was up 64-55 when Cordasia Harris and Coastal Carolina’s Tracey Hueston got tangled up under the basket.
I’m in the thick of it here at the Big 12 Tournament, but was just sent this video of a fight erupting at South Alabama/Coastal Carolina.
Was told there were more than a handful of ejections after this. pic.twitter.com/mKyGaM0O0I
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) March 4, 2026
ESPN+ commentator Brooke Kirchofer suggested on the broadcast that Hueston took offense to something said during the jostling. Moments later, Hueston turned and threw a swing toward Harris — but missed her.
Instead, the punch made contact with referee Ryan Durham as the situation erupted.
In the chaos that followed, another official, referee Marla Gearhart, ended up on the floor. Security personnel and assistant coaches quickly surrounded her as she lay motionless on the court. As of the report, the extent of her injuries was not clear.
The fallout was immediate and massive.
Harris and Hueston were hit with technical fouls and ultimately ejected after the scrum ended. But it didn’t stop there — six additional South Alabama players were also tossed, largely for leaving the bench area during the fight.
Despite being dramatically shorthanded for the final minutes, South Alabama held on and won 80-70, advancing to a third-round matchup against Texas State.
Now, the bigger concern could be what comes next: the team is likely facing suspensions, and the report notes South Alabama may be without its top three scorers because of the incident.
After the game, South Alabama coach Yolisha Jackson condemned what happened while trying to put it in perspective.
“Our program, we never want to be put in that situation, and we never want to act out like that, so we don’t condone what happened today,” she said, calling it “a very unfortunate situation” and adding that it would be addressed as a “lesson learned” with the team.
Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Pederson echoed that tone, saying the incident was “unfortunate” and that Hueston regretted it.
“She’s an incredible model citizen off the floor,” he said, adding that she knows she can’t react that way during a game.
