Memphis Tigers women's basketball player, Jamirah Shutes, has been charged with assault after punching an opponent during a handshake line following a Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) game on Thursday night. The incident occurred after Bowling Green State University (BGSU) defeated Memphis 73-60 in the third round of the tournament.
According to BGSU officials, senior guard Shutes was charged on Friday morning, roughly 12 hours after she struck BGSU player Elissa Brett in the face during the post-game handshake line. The two players had engaged in a verbal altercation after BGSU's victory, which culminated in Shutes punching Brett.
Brett collapsed to the court in pain and was later seen in tears. BGSU stated on Friday that she is "recovering and doing well." The exact cause of the altercation remains unclear, and a police investigation is underway.
BGSU women’s basketball moving on to the final 8 of the WNIT after beating Memphis — but this will steal the headlines unfortunately.
Ugly, ugly scene in the handshake line. A Memphis player punched Elissa Brett. Just brutal. pic.twitter.com/2hptXYBEtj— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) March 24, 2023
In addition to the police investigation, BGSU is "conducting its own review" into the incident, emphasizing that "violence is never acceptable" and that their priority is the "health, safety, and support of our student-athlete."
Memphis University also released a statement on Friday, describing the incident as "extremely unfortunate" and not representative of their expectations for their programs and student-athletes. The school is "cooperating fully" with authorities.
During the game, Shutes reportedly took an elbow to her face, while a separate report suggested that Brett received a "hard elbow" from Shutes. Neither Shutes nor Brett has commented on the incident publicly.
Shutes, a second-team All-AAC selection this season, scored 13 points in her final game with the Tigers, while Brett contributed 15 points to the Falcons' win. Bowling Green will advance to the NIT quarterfinals.
