A wild brawl has seen Australia’s FIBA World Cup qualifying clash with the Philippines abandoned early, after no fewer than 13 players were ejected from the match.
Tensions boiled over with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, with players and officials from both sides, plus a number of unruly fans, flooding the court in disgraceful scenes of violence.
Australia were cruising to victory with a 79‑48 lead before the match descended into farce after Philippines guard Roger Ray Pogoy lashed out at Australia’s Chris Goulding with an errant elbow.
Australia’s Daniel Kickert's retaliation on Pogoy sparked an all‑in brawl which Fox Sports commentator Matt Russell described as “sickening”, and it included punches, elbows, kicks and objects including a chair hurled at players.
The game was interrupted for more than 30 minutes as the referees assessed the situation, but eventually continued in ridiculous fashion, with the Philippines only able to field three players against Australia’s five.
Basketball Australia said on social media that all the Boomers team were safe and well after the incident.
[Source: abc.com]
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