Wild, long brawl erupts at end of Texas A&M-Commerce’s OT win over Incarnate Word

The brawl between Texas A&M Commerce and Incarnate Word lasted for more than a minute on Monday night as the two teams were shaking hands, and nobody seemed to be able to break it up. (Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Things erupted into a very, very ugly scene in San Antonio on Monday night.

Players and coaches from Texas A&M-Commerce and Incarnate Word basketball were shaking hands after the Lions’ 76-72 overtime win against Incarnate Word at the Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center on Monday like normal. Then suddenly, a wild all-out brawl broke out on the court.

There were multiple punches thrown. Several people were sent to the floor. Coaches, players, staff and others tried repeatedly to separate the fight and calm things down, but nothing seemed to work. It went on for more than a full minute, and spilled repeatedly all over the court and around the arena.

It was total mayhem.

It’s still unclear what caused the incident to break out in the first place. Announcers calling the game on ESPN+ said that a “young girl” in the crowd was “hurt and hit” as a result, and that a team staff member had “blood on his face.”

“We will be working closely with both universities to review the footage and issue appropriate disciplinary action,” the Southland Conference said in a statement. “Unsportsmanlike behavior is unacceptable in the Southland Conference, and the safety of our student-athletes, spectators and officials remains a top priority.”

Incarnate Word and A&M-Commerce issued a joint statement together after the game.

“There is no place in college sports for such actions,” the schools said, in part. “The unsportsmanlike conduct that occurred after the game does not reflect the values of the universities involved, as well as the Southland Conference and their member institutions. The matter is currently being reviewed collectively by the Conference office and both institutions as the safety of our student-athletes, staff and fans is our primary concern.”

Both schools were sitting at the bottom of the Southland Conference standings entering the game. Incarnate Word holds just an 8-18 record, and A&M-Commerce sits at 10-17. Lions star Kalen Williams hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime, and then he hit a clutch 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in overtime to push them to the win.

This marked the second meeting between the two schools this season, both of which were won by the Lions.