Eight suspended for brawl
EIGHT SUSPENSIONS, more apologies. Players from Cincinnati and No. 8 Xavier received the consequences of their on-court brawl that left both programs with a black eye.
EIGHT SUSPENSIONS, more apologies.
Players from Cincinnati and No. 8 Xavier received the consequences of their on-court brawl that left both programs with a black eye.
Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates was dealt a six-game suspension for throwing punches, and seven other players were disciplined for their roles in a brawl that ended the annual crosstown rivalry game.
Four Bearcats and four Musketeers were suspended in all. Three Cincinnati players got six-game suspensions, the longest of those handed out.
Gates punched Xavier's Kenny Frease in the face, causing a nasty gash below his left eye, and hit at least one other Musketeer during the fracas on Saturday, which prompted the referees to end Xavier's 76-53 win with 9.4 seconds left.
The Bearcats also gave Cheikh Mbodj and Octavius Ellis six-game suspensions. Ge'Lawn Guyn was suspended for one game.
Xavier suspended star point guard Tu Holloway for one game, guard Mark Lyons for two, and Dez Wells and Landen Amos for four games each.
Frease was the most badly injured, getting punched and kicked. He had blood streaming from the cut beneath his left eye and was woozy after the game. X-rays were negative.
The brawl started in the closing seconds when Holloway talked to the Cincinnati bench. Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick had said during the week leading up to the game that Holloway wasn't good enough to start for the Bearcats.
Holloway wanted the last word, and said things to coaches and players on the Cincinnati bench with the clock stopped at 9.4 seconds. Guyn was standing by Holloway and pushed him in the face. Wells responded by pushing down Guyn. Gates was holding the ball and threw it at Holloway's head, prompting both benches to clear.
Both schools issued strong statements of regret for the episode, and Holloway took responsibility for instigating the fight.
"Coach [Chris] Mack always reminds me, 'You're a leader of this team. The young guys are going to do what you're going to do,' " Holloway said. "If I would've never talked to [Cincinnati's] bench or if I wouldn't have said anything to their players, maybe Dez Wells wouldn't be suspended four games. The result of what I did, I kind of brought him down, I brought Mark Lyons down, I brought the rest of my teammates down because of what I did out there on the floor."
In games yesterday *
At Memphis, Donte Poole connected on a career-high six three-pointers and 20 points as Murray State (10-0) remained undefeated with a 76-72 victory over the No. 21 Tigers (5-3).
* At Illinois, D.J. Richardson scored 20 points to lead four players in double figures and No. 24 Illinois (10-0) beat Coppin State (3-5) , 80-63. Tony Gallo scored 21 points for Coppin, which made 10 three-pointers.
* At Alabama, JaMychal Green scored 21 points and No. 16 Alabama (8-2) rebounded from a two-game losing streak to beat Detroit (5-7), 62-54.
In women's games *
Brittney Griner had 17 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks to help No. 1 Baylor (10-0) beat St. John's 73-59 in the Maggie Dixon Classic in Madison Square Garden . . . In the second game, Glory Johnson's 16 points led No. 7 Tennessee (5-2) over No. 20 DePaul (8-2), 84-61 . . . At Wake Forest, Elena Delle Donna had 30 points and 13 rebounds and No. 22 Delaware (8-0) beat Wake Forest, 70-57.