Tempers flared and a fight broke out early in the second half of Saturday's game between the Providence Friars and St. John's Red Storm, resulting in six ejections and a delay that lasted nearly 20 minutes as officials sorted through the chaos.
It all began after Red Storm senior forward Bryce Hopkins, who spent the previous three seasons with the Friars, ran the floor on a fast break and was taken out of the air via a hard foul from Providence senior forward Duncan Powell. Powell was later assessed a flagrant 2 foul.
All hell proceeded to break loose, as an enraged Hopkins immediately confronted Powell while being held back from teammates. The two teams, surrounded by assistant coaches and officials, then brawled under the basket, with some players going after their opposition and others attempting to hold their own teammates back. It was a mess.
FISTICUFFS IN PROVIDENCE pic.twitter.com/b5b2FeE2yA
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 14, 2026
“There were elbows flying everywhere,” said the commentators as the fight was eventually broken up.
It took so long for officials to sort through the ejections to be assessed that players took the court for a brief warmup period after the brouhaha. Powell and guard Jaylin Sellers were ejected from the Providence side while Dillon Mitchell, Kelvin Odih, Ruben Prey and Sadiku Ibine Ayo were ejected from the Red Storm side.
Adding to the emotions of the brawl and the environment at Amica Mutual Pavilion was the fact that there is no love lost between Providence fans and Hopkins, who appeared in just three games across the last two seasons for the Friars, then spurned the program's offer to join a Big East rival in the Red Storm via the transfer portal.
Hopkins already heard boos from Providence fans during a Jan. 3 loss to the Friars at Madison Square Garden, and Friars fans made it clear that their sentiments for the former Providence forward hadn't changed, chanting Powell's name following the scuffle.
Despite trailing at the time of the break, the 17th-ranked Red Storm went on a run to take the lead when the players returned to the court and held on to win the game 79–69.
More College Basketball on Sports Illustrated
- Popcorn Machine Fire Briefly Delays Georgia-Oklahoma Game
- UCLA’s Mick Cronin Laments Poor Second-Half Defense in Blowout Loss to No. 2 Michigan
- UConn Projected Top Overall Seed in Women’s Top 16 March Madness Reveal
- Will Wade Rips ‘Soft’ Wolfpack as NC State Blows Late Lead in Loss to Miami
- How Florida Basketball Revived Its Repeat Hopes With Historic Rebounding
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Providence-St. John's Brawl Results in Six Ejections, 19-Minute Delay.
