China, US basketball match turns violent

BEIJING: What began as a goodwill trip to Beijing for the Georgetown University men's basketball team turned violent Thursday (August 18) night, when its exhibition game against Chinese Bayi Rockets deteriorated into an ugly fight, Chinese media reported. Georgetown coach John Thompson pulled his players off the court with 9 minutes 32 seconds left in the 4th quarter and the scores tied at 64.

Media reports said players exchanged blows, chairs were thrown and spectators tossed water bottles at the Hoyas as they withdrew to the safety of the locker room at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

A still photo carried by state-run newspaper China Daily showed three uniformed Chinese players and a fourth individual kicking a Georgetown player who was lying on the floor and trying to get up off the court.

Georgetown was scheduled to fly to Shanghai for another friendly game on Friday (August 19), but it is not clear whether the team will complete the rest of the five days of its China tour.