Three players were ejected during UT-Martin’s 81–75 quarterfinal win over SIU-Edwardsville in the men’s Ohio Valley Conference tournament on Thursday following a skirmish that saw SIUE forward DeeJuan Pruitt punch a player in the face.
The altercation occurred after a SIUE basket with 4:13 left in the first half. As UT-Martin looked to inbound, senior forward Rifen Miguel walked up the court with his upper body and head leaning on Pruitt and both his hands in the air. The two players took several steps down the floor while face-to-face before Pruitt unloaded a right hook to Miguel’s jaw and backed away.
The disruption continued after the retreating redshirt sophomore was met near mid-court by UT-Martin sophomore forward Jalen Myers, who threw a punch in his teammate’s defense that narrowly missed the mark. The contest reportedly stopped for more than 10 minutes as officials reviewed the dust-up, resulting in ejections for Pruitt, Miguel, who appeared to be bleeding and bruised from the punch, and Myers.
Interestingly, officials also elected to award SIUE two free throws and the ball after the lengthy stoppage. Pruitt ended his night with three points and two rebounds in 14 minutes while Miguel recorded seven points and three rebounds in four minutes, and Myers chipped in two points, one rebound and one assist in eight minutes.
It’s unknown at this time if either of the three players will receive additional punishment for Thursday’s scene. UT-Martin, the OVC tourney’s No. 3 seed, will next take on No. 2 seed Tennessee Tech at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
