Update: We have video. The blurry one always surfaces first.
Update 2: The MAC Digital Network released a version which misses the initial swings but you can see the ensuing pile-on on the court after the jump.
I was not expecting the CMU-OHIO women's basketball game to be the story of the night, but my expectations are continuously in flux. The Chippewas handled the Bobcats easily 67-53 to keep pace in the MAC West but that was not the big reason. In the first half, with 11:08 to play, OHIO forward Porsha Harris was called for a foul. And then [insert details here].
With me so far?
This somehow led to Harris getting into a fight with CMU forward Jas'Mine Bracey, and according to a bunch of Twitter eyewitness accounts, punches were thrown like the wind. And not "girl" punches either. Both ladies are at least six feet tall.
All the players and coaches ran from the bench area and tended to the situation in the paint. The refs threw Bracey and Harris from the game. Bracey was hit with a Flagrant 2 foul, which puts the status of her appearance in Saturday's big game against BGSU in question.
Both players are serious contributors to their teams, so this really negated not only the level of play but didn't seem to affect it one way or the other. It was a CMU 12-point lead at the time of the fight and they won by 14. But Harris' status was already questionable due to a leg injury, but her 8.9 points and 5.8 rebounds were sorely missed. And Bracey, the 6'2" freshman, is giving CMU 9.5 points, 6.8 boards and 1.4 blocks a game.
I didn't know there was any bad blood between the two teams, but now there is. Unlike video, which we're waiting to see if it exists at all. If they play again it wouldn't be until the MAC tournament, if that happens. And you can bet there will be sufficiently more cameras around that time.