Getty Image / Scott W. Grau / Icon Sportswire
The Bowling Green Falcons bested the Memphis Tigers in the WNIT Tournament on Thursday night, winning 73-60.
Bowling Green‘s win was marred by a scuffle in the handshake lineup after the game that police are now investigating after a player was sucker punched.
In footage of the altercation, Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes and BGSU’s Elissa Brett appeared to exchange words in the handshake lineup after the game. Then in an instant, BGSU’s Elissa Brett is on the ground after being sucker punched by Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes.
BGSU women’s basketball moving on to the final 8 of the WNIT after beating Memphis — but this will steal the headlines unfortunately.
Ugly, ugly scene in the handshake line. A Memphis player punched Elissa Brett. Just brutal. pic.twitter.com/2hptXYBEtj
— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) March 24, 2023
According to WTOL11, the incident was referred to the Bowling Green State University Police who are now investigating.
UPDATE: Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes is being criminally charged
An update on TMZ states that Memphis Tigers senior, Jamirah Shutes, is being charged with assault after the BGSU police completed their investigation.
They declined to comment on the altercation, stating “Bowling Green State University Athletics does not make comments about active police investigations. Our priority is with the health, safety and support of our student-athletes.”
Elissa Brett’s name started trending on Twitter shortly after she was sucker punched and fell to the court.
One college basketball fan wrote “She fell to the ground after being hit but fortunately was able to walk back to the locker room with some assistance. Hopefully she’s okay!”
The Memphis Women’s Basketball team appeared to ignore the incident on social media. Their most recent tweet was the final score of the game:
Final. pic.twitter.com/DydfnZ9yeL
— Memphis Women's Basketball (@MemphisWBB) March 24, 2023
Their mentions were full of people saying ‘trash’ and with replies like this:
Agreed.
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) March 24, 2023
The BGSU Women’s Basketball Twitter account didn’t mention the incident either. Instead, they opted to share the team’s successes:
🔸 Five teams have won 30 or more games in MAC women’s basketball history. Bowling Green has done so on three occasions, while the other 11 MAC schools have combined for two. (3/3)#AyZiggy | #RiseUp | 🟠🏀🟤
— BGSU Women’s Basketball (@BGSUWBB) March 24, 2023
🔸 BGSU has won 30 games in a season for the first time since that 2013-14 club went 30-5. The school record for wins is 31, set by the ‘06-07 team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Championships & finished 31-4. (2/3)
— BGSU Women’s Basketball (@BGSUWBB) March 24, 2023
Bowling Green State’s next WNIT game will be against the Florida Gators at 6pm on Monday.