Tigers players charged after Punch Bowling Green-Memphis WNIT game

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — A Memphis Tigers basketball player is now facing assault charges confrontation in the post-game handshake line after Bowling Green’s win over Memphis Thursday night at the women’s NIT.

According to our sister station WTOL, the Athletics at Bowling Green State University released a statement Friday in an update saying Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes has been charged with assault.

“Following the unjustified physical incident Thursday after WNIT’s home game, the Bowling Green State University Police Department has charged a member of the Memphis women’s basketball team with assault,” the statement said. “In addition, BGSU Athletics is conducting its own review. Violence is never acceptable and our priority remains the health, safety and support of our student athlete as they recover and thrive. This is an active investigation in conjunction with the City of Bowling Green Attorney’s Office and no further comment is available at this time.”

As the teams walked down to center court Thursday night after Bowling Green’s 73-60 win in the round of 16, Shutes stopped to speak with Falcons player Elissa Brett. After a brief conversation, Shute’s board appears to deliver a slap in the face. Brett fell to the scorer’s table and the sidelines.

There was no immediate word as to what caused the confrontation or if any player was seriously injured.

The Memphis Athletics Department said Friday that the incident was “extremely unfortunate and certainly not consistent with or representative of our expectations for our programs and student athletes.”

“As the incident occurred after the game, responsibility rests with the local authorities and we are fully cooperating with their process,” the statement said. “To respect this process, we will not comment further until it is complete.”

Bowling Green said in an earlier statement Thursday night that the incident was in the hands of campus police.

“The incident, which occurred after today’s WNIT home game, was turned over to the BGSU Police Department,” the school said. “Bowling Green State University Athletics does not comment on an active police investigation. Our priority is the health, safety and support of our student-athletes.”

Bowling Green coach Robyn Frölich did not directly comment on the incident after the game, saying only that they were “figuring out all these things” about what happened in the handshake line.

The Commercial Appeal reported that Shutes, who leads the Tigers in scoring, elbowed in the face with 24 seconds left in the first quarter and only played eight minutes in the first half. She returned to start the second half.

Shutes, a fifth-year player who finished her last game with the Tigers with 13 points, was a second-team All-AAC selection this season.

Brett scored 15 points in the win.