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Fans Storming Court Get Involved In Fight With Players [VIDEO]

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

CBS DETROIT - What started as just another instance of excited students storming the court after a win for their school turned ugly quickly - and could have ended much more badly - after New Mexico State's K.C. Ross-Miller flung the basketball at Utah Valley's Holton Hunsaker as fans started to pour onto the hardwood.

Seeing players getting chippy apparently spurred fans to get involved, too. From the video, it appears at least one fan punched a player before team personnel could drag all the players away from the melee.

"I want to apologize for K.C.'s actions," New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said after the game, per ESPN. "From what I understand, he threw the ball after the game was over and had expired. I don't know what provoked it. I mean, Hunsaker's a little chippy himself so he may have said something or done something, but you just can't respond. I mean, we showed them plenty of clips where they do things that can get underneath your skin a little bit and you've got to be tougher than that mentally, and I'm just upset that he did that."

The situation escalated much more quickly than it might have otherwise, however, when the crowd flooded the floor.

"I think when their fans stormed the court, I think it kind of ... convoluted things a little bit because some of the guys apparently said they felt threatened," Menzies added. "Daniel [Mullings] said he actually got hit."

While storming the court happens fairly often in college basketball, it presents a number of nightmare scenarios for security. What happened Thursday certainly qualifies as one.

Player and fans fight after Utah Valley vs. New Mexico State game by Josh Rhodes on YouTube
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