Altercation Mars Sun Belt Tournament Game: Referee Struck
An altercation occurred during the fourth quarter of the Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball tournament second-round game between South Alabama and Coastal Carolina, which South Alabama won 80-70. The incident resulted in a referee being inadvertently struck by a player.
Incident Unfolds
The event began when South Alabama’s Cordasia Harris and Coastal Carolina’s Tracey Hueston engaged in an exchange of words. Hueston subsequently attempted to shove and swing at Harris.
Referee Struck Amidst Intervention
Teammates and officials intervened to separate the players. During this intervention, a second referee became involved in the incident, and Hueston swung again, striking the official and causing them to fall to the floor.
The referee remained motionless briefly before staff members and medical personnel attended to them. The referee's condition after the game was not immediately clear.
Consequences and Ejections
Following the incident, a double technical foul was issued. Tracey Hueston and Cordasia Harris were ejected, along with six other players who participated in the altercation.
Coaches Address the Incident
South Alabama coach Yolisha Jackson stated after the game:
"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 that, what happened today. It’s a very unfortunate situation for two talented basketball teams that have played in Pensacola in the tournament."
She added that it was a learning experience:
"With young people, sometimes emotions run high and as they go through their growth process and their maturity, sometimes things happen. But we always try to look at it as a lesson learned and make sure the next time that if we are put in a similar situation that we just respond a little differently."
Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Pederson described the incident as “unfortunate,” noting that Hueston "regrets" her actions. He commented:
"She’s an incredible model citizen off the floor and she knows she can’t act that way. That was extremely frustrating for everybody, certainly something we don’t approve of in this program. It’s nothing you want to see. You hate to see that in your last game."