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Fan Brawl Halts Shaw, St. Aug's Basketball Game

One person was arrested Tuesday night following a fight that broke out in the stands during a basketball game between Shaw University and St. Augustine's College.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — One person was arrested Tuesday night following a fight that broke out in the stands during a basketball game between Shaw University and St. Augustine's College.

The brawl, which spilled onto the court, forced officials to halt the game with less than five minutes left and St. Augustine's up 60-51. No players or coaches from either team were involved.

CIAA officials said Wednesday that they plan to review the incident. There was no word on when, or if, the game would be rescheduled.

"It started because we were ahead the whole game, and then St. Aug's came back," said Shaw student Mikhail Wright, who caught the incident on tape.

"It was a little talk, a little yelling. ... Then, one of the guys threw a piece of paper, and one thing led to another," Wright said. "It's college. We love our school. We're not going to take any disrespect."

Many people compare the intense rivalry between the two Raleigh schools – both members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – to that between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Shaw-St. Augustine's game had to be held at Broughton High School because neither college campus has a gymnasium large enough to hold the crowd.

Wake County deputies hired by Shaw – Shaw was considered the home team – to provide security for the game said the incident might have stemmed from gang activity. At least one deputy used pepper spray to break up the skirmish.

Reporter Bonitta Best, who was covering the game for the Triangle Tribune, said she saw three different fights break out. A deputy used pepper spray on people in the third fight, she said.

“He didn’t have to use that pepper spray,” Best said. “There was no reason for that.”

Shaw student Caprisha Glenn, 19, of Raleigh, was charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer during the brawl.

St. Augustine's spokeswoman Katrina Dix called the brawl "an unfortunate incident," and Shaw spokeswoman Verna Collins said she didn't think the fight would affect the relationship between the schools.

Officials at both universities declined further comment.

A decade ago, six Shaw players were suspended for one game after a fight broke out between players and fans during a game with Virginia State University.

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