No. 25 of the Winthrop Eagles women’s basketball team is not one to be messed with on the court.
As the game between the Eagles and the High Point Panthers on Wednesday at Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C. was winding down its final seconds, Winthrop junior forward Tocarra Johnson went to the post and asked for the ball, looking to trim her team’s deficit down to a more respectable margin.
However, Panthers senior forward Nevaeh Zavala put her hands around Johnson in an attempt to stop her from scoring. Johnson clearly did not like it, as she immediately turned around and threw punches at Zavala without even hesitating. Some of those punches appeared to land on the back of Zavala’s head before cooler heads got in between the two players.
Johnson was then escorted to the bench, as teammates surrounded her. Zavala, on the other hand, looked okay despite the blows she absorbed, with the broadcast showing her shouting in the direction of Johnson while fixing her hair.
You can watch the wild scene here.
We have PUNCHES THROWN in High Point @ Winthrop. pic.twitter.com/f5ZkanEWTa
— Skim Milkey (@SkimMilkey) February 5, 2026
Johnson’s violent outburst could also be out of sheer frustration in the game, as Winthrop was dominated on both ends of the floor by Zavala and the Panthers, who came away with an 88-74 win.
High Point, which improved to 10-0 in Big South play and 21-2 overall, shot 47% from the field and held Winthrop to just 41% shooting.
As for Winthrop, the Eagles are down to 11-13 overall and 4-6 against Big South rivals.
