Conference USA and both schools involved are reviewing a post-game incident Saturday in which a UTEP fan picked up a chair during a heated confrontation with Jacksonville State players.
Moments after Jacksonville State guard Mostapha El Moutaouakkil’s buzzer-beater lifted the Gamecocks to a 64-61 victory in El Paso, a courtside fan behind the scorer’s table began waving a chair while screaming at the Jacksonville State team during the traditional postgame handshake line along the sideline.
JSU players had to be restrained by staffers and security personnel from reaching the man, and officials from both programs and CUSA said afterward that the matter will be investigated. Other fans also appeared to be verbally jawing with the Gamecocks contingent.
“We are reviewing the incident in conjunction with both [athletic directors], but we do not have a statement at this time,” Conference USA spokesperson Josh Yonis said in a statement.
“We are going to review the video when we [obtain] it,” UTEP A.D. Jim Senter added. “We will take appropriate action as needed.”
According to ESPN, Jacksonville State officials said the school would “defer” to the conference before commenting.
UTEP also experienced a handshake-line incident following a road loss at New Mexico on Feb. 21. Miners coach Joe Golding appeared to tap NMSU coach Jason Hooten in the chest during a face-to-face conversation, leading to further arguing between the teams.
UTEP missed out on the Conference USA tournament after finishing 7-13 in conference play, while No. 7-seeded Jacksonville State will play No. 10 New Mexico State on Tuesday in the first round.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
