“Real and Feisty”: USC-LSU Brawl After MiLaysia Fulwiley’s Brilliance Has Rachel Nichols Excited for Women’s Basketball

Last night’s LSU-USC fight that broke out in the final minutes of the SEC Women’s Tournament Championship basketball game was received with mixed reactions. While many didn’t like how women’s basketball was getting more aggressive, others seem to have taken this as a sign of good things to come. While MiLaysia Fulwiley stole the spotlight with her brilliance that led to the ultimate victory of South Carolina, the brawl also took center stage.

And American sports journalist Rachel Nichols seems to be voicing the thoughts that have many women nodding their heads in approval. In her Bully Ball with Rachel and Boogie episode, she says that yesterday’s tussle wasn’t just a catfight between petty women. It was as real as it got.

Notable American TV host gets real about her feelings on last night’s scuffle

And so, Nichols was happy that “people got to see how real, how feisty the tournament’s gonna be.” Nichols’ caption for the video also says a lot about the kind of message that she wants to get out to the public. “Not trying to condone violence, but… Loved what the LSU-South Carolina fracas (brouhaha?) exposed the larger public to – that the passion and grit in the women’s game is just as real and feisty as in the men’s.”

Two of the top teams are fighting for a championship and in such scenarios, it’s natural for tensions to be high. It’s seen in all professional sports. The fact that something of this nature finally happened in women’s basketball points to a shift in the narrative. For too long, women in sports have been forced to stick to just “skipping up and down the court, ladida, hitting long jumpers.” Or at least that’s the version many like to see.

They forget one of the most important aspects of competitive sports – emotions. Emotions run high when there is a lot at stake, say, for example, a championship. And the feelings that come with this are the same for everyone, regardless of gender. These women go through every emotion that Stephen Curry, LeBron James, or anyone in the NBA would go through when they are playing to win a title.

And if they are allowed to show their real feelings on the court, which, as we have seen, often results in major fights (read: chokehold drama, game ball drama), what makes these college basketball athletes so different? Because, at the end of the day, that’s who they are – professional athletes.

MiLaysia Fulwiley stays on course as the USC freshman erupts for a career-high

MiLaysia Fulwiley is one of the rising South Carolina stars. From catching the attention of ‘Chef Curry’ to dominating on-court, the 5’10 guard was a pleasant surprise. And last night, she kept her eyes on the goal – the SEC victory. Fulwiley already had a game-high 20 points by the end of the third quarter. She finished the night with a career-high 24 points, was crowned the SEC Tournament MVP, and was named to the All-Tournament team.

Read More: “I Wish She Would Have Pushed Angel Reese”: Kim Mulkey Blasts After Flau’Jae Johnson Gets Hammered Down in Nasty Altercation

The two free throws that the USC got off the late quarter brawl had set the stage, as MiLaysia Fulwiley hit both of them. And then another pair of free throws with 13.2 seconds left sealed the deal for the team. LSU didn’t have much of a chance. But they managed to finish with 72 to Carolina’s 79.