There was just one spitter this time and he hit the showers early.
Stony Brook star Erik Pratt spit on a fan before being ejected late during an 82-69 road loss to Monmouth on Thursday night.
He showed remorse after the game.
“I apologize for my actions tonight,” Pratt wrote on his Instagram story late Thursday night.
“First, to Monmouth University and the fans specifically. Second, to Stony Brook University. I take full responsibility for my lapse in judgement. It was a let down (sic) to my teammates, my coaches & an improper representation of Stony Brook University. That isn’t who I am or how I am to represent myself, my family, or my school. I apologize.”
The stunning scene unfolded with 2:30 remaining in the second half when Pratt walked near the baseline under the basket and a fan in a white shirt yelled at him.
Pratt, a graduate student from Lake Worth, Fla., then cocked his head to the left and spit at the fan.
It’s unclear if the spit hit the fan, but the individual recoiled while the projectile came his way.
“Ew,” one announcer said, before his colleague added: “Erik Pratt just spit at one of the Monmouth students.”
Pratt received a technical foul and exited the game with a team-high 14 points, eight assists and five turnovers in 33 minutes.
“I didn’t see what happened but I’ve had problems with fans, sometimes people come and they have a lot to say and I love our fans,” Monmouth coach King Rice said, according to app.com.
“Our fans usually don’t get into it with anybody, but when it’s kids down there under the basket things can get hot and he obviously made a mistake.”
Pratt could now be facing potential punishment from the CAA with just two regular season games left for the Seawolves (17-12, 9-7) and his absence would be a tough blow.
He leads the team with 19.4 points per game, almost double the team’s second-highest scorer, and also averages a team-high 34.2 minutes per game.
Pratt has tallied at least 10 points in 26 of the team’s 29 games, and needs just five more points to become Stony Brook’s points leader over the last 10 seasons, per the school.
Stony Brook and Monmouth (15-14, 9-7) are tied for the No. 5 seed in the upcoming CAA Tournament, making Thursday’s result all the more costly for the Seawolves.
“It was just a must-win game,” Monmouth’s Jason Rivera-Torres said after tallying a game-high 25 points, per app.com. “In the locker room we were just saying ‘must-in game, must-win game’.
“Trying to get a good seed in the playoffs and the CAA Tournament, so just treating every game from now to the CAA Tournament like it’s a must-win.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
