The SEC women’s basketball championship game saw a confrontation between LSU and South Carolina, resulting in a significant delay and the arrest of Flau’jae Johnson’s brother.
With just two minutes remaining in the game and South Carolina in the lead, a heated exchange unfolded. It began when Johnson fouled South Carolina’s freshman player, MiLaysia Fulwiley, after a turnover. Following this, Ashlyn Watkins of SC walked past Johnson and taunted her with a celebratory gesture. Reacting to this, the LSU standout sophomore pushed Watkins aside.
In response, South Carolina’s leading scorer, Kamilla Cardoso, rushed over and collided with Johnson, knocking her to the ground. This incident prompted numerous players and staff from both teams to rush to midcourt to intervene and diffuse the situation.
Amidst the chaos unfolding on the court, Johnson’s brother, as reported by the ESPN broadcast, leaped over the scorer’s table in defense of his sister, rushing onto the court before being intercepted. According to reports, he had a brief encounter with Cardoso before stadium police officers intervened and escorted him off the court.
After a delay of over 20 minutes, during which officials and staff worked to restore order, Johnson was penalized with an intentional foul, while Cardoso was ejected from the game due to a fighting infraction.
Nevertheless, several players were also ejected from the game for departing from the bench area. South Carolina faced the loss of four players due to ejections, leaving them with only six players remaining. Meanwhile, LSU found themselves with just their starting five players remaining on the court after both of their reserves were disqualified.
