This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There were bounce houses on the concourse an hour before tipoff Saturday afternoon at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas to celebrate Kid's Day. A little more than an hour later, a college basketball game devolved into fisticuffs, resulting in several players themselves being bounced toward the locker room.
A brawl broke out late in the third quarter of a Mountain West Conference matchup between the Utah State women's basketball team and the UNLV Lady Rebels. The Aggies held a 36-32 lead with 1:10 left in the third when a foul was called on rebounding attempt between Utah State senior forward Antoina Robinson and UNLV sophomore center Katie Powell.
Powell gave Robinson a bump after the foul, which led to the 6-foot-2 forward from Dallas, to retaliate by shoving Powell. The UNLV center shoved back and punches were soon exchanged as the two tangled to the floor in Las Vegas. The brawl not only resulted in both Robinson and Powell being tossed, but also three players from each team due to participating in the brawl and leaving the bench.
UNLV (11-5, 2-2 MWC) rallied to beat USU (8-7, 1-3 MWC) 55-53 in overtime. Prior to her ejection, Robinson had three points and three points. Powell had no points and two rebounds before being tossed.