March Madness has been fun to watch in all regards and let's not forget that the NIT is dwindling down to the finish line. However, one storyline emerged in the women's NIT. Following Bowling Green's victory over Memphis, Tigers senior Jamirah Shutes punched Bowling Green's Elissa Brett in the handshake line.
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
Now, Shutes is being charged with assault following the incident, according to Pat Forde of SI. The statement was sent out by Bowling Green University Police:
“Following Thursday’s unwarranted physical incident after the WNIT home game, the Bowling Green State University Police Department has charged a member of the Memphis Women’s Basketball team with assault. Additionally, BGSU Athletics is conducting its own review. Violence is never acceptable and our priority remains the health, safety and support of our student-athlete, who is recovering and doing well. This is an active investigation in conjunction with the City of Bowling Green Prosecutor…”
This is terrible news for the Memphis Tigers and Jamirah Shutes, whose college career comes to an unfortunate end after the incident.
Memphis Athletics has issued a statement as well:
Statement from Memphis Athletics on last night’s postgame incident where Jamirah Shutes struck a Bowling Green player.
“Because the incident occurred after the game, jurisdiction falls in the hands of local authorities, and we are cooperating fully with their process.” pic.twitter.com/FYlPZ0wuGV
— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) March 24, 2023
Memphis beat Jackson State and Ball State before seeing their season end on Thursday night. Shutes had a team-high 13 points in the loss, and it remains unclear exactly what led to the punch being thrown in the handshake line.
Bowling Green is now in the Final 8 in the Women's NIT and faces Florida on Monday night in hopes of making the NIT Final Four.
Nonetheless, all eyes will be monitoring the outcome of this situation.
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