Norfolk State went into Washington D.C. on Saturday and erased a 22 point deficit to land a win over Howard, 80-78.
Norfolk State’s Mastadi Pitt made a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds left that gave NSU the win, and that’s when the real fireworks started.
It’s unclear what, exactly, precipitated the melee, but what is clear is that punches were thrown, players had to be held back by force and Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry was in the middle of the action.
The first angle of the brawl is here, and Nickelberry can be seen around the :45 second mark in the navy blue suit going after the Norfolk State players after things appeared to finally calm down:
After Howard let a 22 pts lead slip away, coaches and players from Howard and Norfolk State engage in a heated brawl pic.twitter.com/RDSpfYNufT
— Tramel Raggs (@Raggs_No_Riches) February 2, 2019
Here is another angle of the madness:
An on-court brawl broke out Saturday after Norfolk State’s 80-78 win at Howard in Washington. pic.twitter.com/RkSoJMWAWS
— David Hall (@DavidHallVP) February 2, 2019
“The altercation at the end of the game was unfortunate,” Howard said in a statement released to the Washington Post. “Physical altercations or any form of unsportsmanlike conduct is not reflective of our values at Howard. We will review the tape, as well as forward a copy to the conference office, to determine what disciplinary actions need to be taken.”