Calamity broke out during the fourth quarter of the SEC Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 10. The University of South Carolina Gamecocks were about to put the finishing touches on a statement win.
As the Gamecocks were on the way to their timeout huddle a player got in the face of LSU point guard Flau’jae Johnson and Johnson shoved her away. After seeing the shove South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso shove Johnson even harder causing her to hit the ground with force.
A melee ensued as both benches cleared.
Cardoso Apologizes After SEC Championship Brawl
It is against the rules for players to leave the bench amid the altercation so LSU and South Carolina finished the last 2:08 of the game with just five players each. Cardoso was also ejected from the contest.
It is worth noting that every player ejected from the SEC Championship Game will be ineligible to play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It is a huge blow to the Gamecocks as Cardoso has been one of their top players all year.
After the incident, she released a statement apologizing for her actions.
“I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for my actions during today’s game,” she wrote.
“My behavior was not representative of who I am as a person or the South Carolina program. And I deeply regret any discomfort or inconvenience it may have caused. I take full responsibility for my actions. And assure you that I am committed to conducting myself with the utmost respect and sportsmanship in the future.”
Dawn Staley Reacts to Viral Scuffle
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has built one of the top basketball programs in the country. And she has built it on stern principles such as discipline and self-control.
It would be easy for Staley to scold her team for not staying true to their principles. But she says she understands that things change in the heat of the moment.
“We talk about these things as a team. And we try to, as much as possible, express to them how not to react in those types of situations,” Staley said.
“But real-time is real-time. And I know that anybody, Kamilla, as well as the other four or five players that were ejected, I know if they had a chance to do it all over again, they would do it differently.”