Massive College Basketball Brawl Leads to Six Player Ejections Amid Benches Clearing Chaos

An intense Big East basketball clash between Providence and St. John’s erupted into chaos on Saturday, resulting in a startling six-player ejection at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Rhode Island.

The game had reached a turning point with the Providence Friars narrowly leading the St. John’s Red Storm 40-39 in the second half. St. John’s standout Bryce Hopkins, a former Friar himself, caught an outlet pass and appeared to be on an unobstructed path to the basket.

As Hopkins soared towards the rim, Providence’s center Duncan Powell intervened with a forceful foul. Powell wrapped his arms around Hopkins, bringing him down hard to the court. This aggressive move sparked immediate tensions.

Hopkins quickly regained his feet, retaliating with a shove to Powell, setting off a chain reaction that saw both teams converge in a heated confrontation.

The situation escalated further when Powell broke away from the melee and swung at Oziyah Sellers of St. John’s. This act incited a rush of players from the Red Storm’s bench to storm the court, intensifying the fray.

As more members of the two teams came together, Powell then turned around and took a swing at another St. John’s player: guard Dillon Mitchell. 

Providence (white) and St. John’s (red) players got into a massive brawl on Saturday

It started with a vicious foul by Duncan Powell (white) on former PC star Bryce Hopkins (red)

It led to a benches-clearing melee between both sides which led to six combined ejections

A mass of security guards, coaches and Providence Police officers rushed over to break up the fight as players continued to jaw at each other. 

In the stands, Providence’s notoriously rowdy student section began screaming and appeared to throw things in the direction of the court.

One Providence fan was ejected from the arena for antagonizing the St. John’s friends and family section. 

Referees James Breeding, Tony Chiazza and Nathan Farrell took a total of 19 minutes to examine footage and dole out punishment.

In the end, six players were ejected from the game. Powell was tossed for fighting, which will mean he misses the Friars’ upcoming contest against DePaul.

Providence star Jaylin Sellers was also ejected – with the guard kicking a chair in frustration as he left the floor.

As for St. John’s, four players were kicked out of the game. Mitchell was ejected for his role in the melee.

Coaches, security guards and police officers all ran on the court to break up the fight

But the other three St. John’s players – forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo, guard Kelvin Odih and forward Ruben Prey – were all tossed because they were not in the game and came off the bench to join the fight.

After the game, Providence head coach Kim English said that Powell’s foul was not necessary.

‘There’s a time to have hard fouls,’ English said (via the New York Post’s Zach Braziller). ‘You never want to hit anyone in the head. I didn’t think that was a time for a hard foul.’

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, a former Providence head coach, remarked, ‘The crowd lost objectivity of what they’re here for.

‘If they’re just here to poke fun at Bryce Hopkins and not get a win for the Friars, that’s not the Friars I remember in 1987.’ 

Things remained chippy throughout the game on the court and in the stands. TNT Sports’ Brian Anderson reported that security escorted visiting St. John’s fans to a safer place after they continued to be harrassed after the incident.

Later in the contest, Providence’s Jamier Jones was ejected for a violent shove in the back as St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor had a breakaway layup.

Former Providence star Bryce Hopkins received a hostile welcome from Friars fans

Students then began to jump the barrier and chanted ‘F*** Bryce Hopkins.’ In return, Hopkins started to yell back at all of them.

Red Storm guard Joson Sanon also got a technical foul for taunting later in the contest, but was not ejected.

The fight inspired St. John’s to a 39-29 run down the stretch to beat the Friars 79-69.

St. John’s victory leads the No. 17 ranked Red Storm to a 20-5 record and an eleventh straight win.