Saturday’s WAC Tournament championship game ended in an ugly scene after some UT Arlington players took offense to a play Grand Canyon made in the closing seconds.
Grand Canyon was leading 84-74 with about 7 seconds left when they secured a rebound to seal the win. UT Arlington players understandably gave up once Grand Canyon gained possession, but the Antelopes wanted to make one final play. Senior Lök Wur heaved a long pass to Collin Moore, who threw down a windmill dunk with 2.9 seconds remaining.
UT Arlington players thought the move was classless. Mavericks guard Phillip Russell gave Moore a bump as Moore was running back up the floor. UT Arlington senior Akili Vining then whipped the ball at Moore and hit his opponent with it. You can see the full sequence below:
Drama at the end of the WAC final.
With GCU up late and time about to expire, Collin Moore dunks. UTA's Phillip Russell runs up and bodychecks Moore, while Akili Vining threw the ball at him. pic.twitter.com/Ag5vySZK8D
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 17, 2024
Russell received a Flagrant 2 foul for his contact with Moore. Vining was given a Flagrant technical foul for throwing the ball. Grand Canyon senior Derrick Michael Xzavierro, who is not a part of the team’s regular rotation, was ejected for laving the bench area.
Coaches and officials did a good job of preventing the situation from turning into a full-blown brawl, which easily could have happened. Grand Canyon had just punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, so the last thing they would have needed was a suspension for a key player.
Grand Canyon ended up with the 12th seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, where they will face Saint Mary’s in the opening round. You can understand why they were excited after winning their conference, but they probably should have just dribbled out the clock.
