LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Kansas' 81-60 Sunflower Showdown basketball victory over Kansas State ended in a brawl.
KU and K-State players spilled off the Allen Fieldhouse floor and into a baseline seating area Tuesday night after Kansas big man Silvio De Sousa blocked a last-second layup attempt by DaJuan Gordon, who had come up with a steal with a few seconds remaining, and stood over Gordon.
The play happened close to the Kansas State bench. Wildcats players rushed to Gordon, and Kansas players left their bench.
The fracas spilled into the seating area behind press row, where spectators sit in folding chairs and some in wheelchairs. Punches were thrown. De Sousa picked up a stool but didn't swing it.
After coaches and team officials helped stop the fight, the teams left for the locker room. But the players who were on the floor for the teams when the game ended returned to the court. A technical foul had been called on De Sousa with 1 second remaining.
After the game, KU coach Bill Self said "there will be consequences."
"I know that we were in the wrong," Self said. "I'm not saying that both parties weren't in the wrong, but I know we were in the wrong."
In a statement, KU athletic director Jeff Long apologized and said he and Self will review the incident, along with the conference and K-State to "determine appropriate consequences."
"The conduct of a few of our student-athletes at the conclusion of tonight's game vs. Kansas State was simply unacceptable and not reflective of who we are," Long said. "I would like to apologize to the Big 12 Conference, Kansas State University, Gene Taylor, Bruce Weber and all fans for the lack of sportsmanship from members of our team this evening."
Self and Kansas State coach Weber were in the handshake line when the trouble started and both coaches said they didn't see it until after it had started. Self later saw video of the incident, including De Sousa holding the stool over his head.
"That was an embarrassment on our part for the role we played in it ... " Self said. "Regardless how it got started, it's no way for mature men to act."
Self said he spoke to his players after the game and "relayed to them how selfish it was, how disappointed we are."
Weber said he had told his team not to foul at the end when Gordon stole the ball from De Sousa near midcourt and drove to the basket.
"You win with class, you lose with class," Weber said. "It's probably my fault. I told them not to press, not to foul, to back off. But the kids are young guys. They want to play hard. They were disappointed, frustrated. You don't want to take that fire out of their belly but you have to handle it right.
"All we talk about is act right, treat people right, play the right way. That's been our way at K-State."
The players who were on the floor at the end of the game were the only ones eligible to return. Players for both teams who left the bench were ejected from the game.
The volatile ending came after a big game for Jayhawks freshman guard Christian Braun.
Braun scored a season-high 20 points in helping the Jayhawks. He matched his season best of 11 by halftime on the strength of three 3-pointers. He surpassed it with a 3-pointer on KU's first possession of the second half. He became the sixth Kansas player to score at least 20 in a game this season.
Third-ranked Kansas improved to 15-3 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12, a game behind Baylor. K-State dropped to 8-10 and 1-5.
The Jayhawks dominated early, opening a 26-9 lead on Braun's 3-pointer with 10:30 remaining in the first half. The margin increased to as many as 24 early in the second half before the Wildcats caught a spark behind freshman guard David Sloan.
Sloan had six points in a 13-2 K-State run, and when Gordon, another freshman, knocked down a 3, the margin was down to 49-36 six minutes into the second half.
But the Jayhawks quickly put an end to the rally. Braun's corner 3-pointer restored a 58-39 advantage, and Kansas was back on track to a lopsided victory in a one-sided series. Tuesday marked KU's 14th straight victory over K-State at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas State was coming off its best victory of the season, handling then No. 12 West Virginia 84-68 on Saturday. But the Wildcats couldn't overcome a Kansas team that ranks among the national leaders in scoring defense.
Kansas' Udoka Azubuike collected his seventh double-double this season with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Devon Dotson added 18 points.
Xavier Sneed led Kansas State with 16 and Sloan had a season-best 14.
Ahead for both teams and the rest of the conference is the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Saturday, KU plays host to Tennessee before an ESPN "College GameDay" audience, and Kansas State travels to Alabama.
