Georgetown vs. China Fight Video: Hoyas Bolt Court After Melee Breaks out

What was supposed to be a friendly exhibition basketball game turned into anything but when a fight broke out early in the fourth quarter between the Georgetown Hoyas and Chinese team Baiyi. There were some apparent officiating problems throughout the contest that led up to the brawl.

Eyewitness reports from a Hoyas message board point to a large foul disparity as the reason for growing tension between the two teams. Georgetown was able to build a lead despite Baiyi going to the foul line on many possessions, including several intentional foul calls that allowed them to keep the ball.

Hoyas head coach John Thompson III tried to maintain the peace by keeping his team focused, but was saddled with a technical foul for stepping on the court. Looking back on the situation in the future, Thompson might admit he should have removed his team from the court earlier.

Things erupted early in the fourth quarter when Baiyi switched to a full-court press defensive scheme. After contact was made following an outlet pass by the Hoyas, a pushing match ensued, which led to a benches-clearing brawl with just under 10 minutes left in the contest.

Early reports speculated that United States vice president Joe Biden was in attendance for the game, but it has been confirmed by the Huffington Post that he was not. Georgetown alumni that were at the game were quickly ushered out of the arena.

The melee reached its climax when the crowd started throwing projectiles, mostly plastic bottles, onto the court, and that's when the Hoyas headed for the locker room, with minimal help from on-scene security. Chairs were also being tossed into the cluster of players.

The photos illustrate a chaotic scene. As seen in several pictures, the referees who caused tempers to flare in the first place made no attempt to stop the fight, instead holding their ground and watching it unfold.

Thompson has since released the following statement:

"

Tonight, two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams. We sincerely regret that this situation occurred.

We remain grateful for the opportunity our student-athletes are having to engage in a sport they love here in China, while strengthening their understanding of a nation we respect and admire at Georgetown University.

"

Obviously, this was not the publicity the University was hoping for during the preseason trip. It appears they are going to downplay the situation and hope to move on from the incident quickly. They will most certainly restrict further comment until they return to home soil.

Although traveling to foreign lands always has the potential to cause problems for teams based in the United States, this flare-up appears to be an isolated incident. The Duke Blue Devils have played two games against the Junior Chinese National Team and have had no problems.

There have been no immediate decisions made on the next move for the Georgetown basketball team. The Hoyas were not schedule to return to Washington, D.C., until Aug. 27 and it is unclear whether this incident will change that date.

Judging by Thompson's comments, it sounds like they will continue their schedule as planned and accept dual responsibility for the fight, whether it's warranted or not. In a growing basketball nation like China, Thompson doesn't want to burn any bridges within the tight-lipped nation.

Georgetown is expected to go through a rebuilding season after losing three of their top four players from last season's team. Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Julian Vaughn finished their careers with the Hoyas and Thompson viewed the trip as a bonding experience for his young roster.

If nothing else, the team proved they are willing to stick up for each other during extraordinary circumstances. Hopefully this occurrence doesn't have any ramifications throughout the rest of their trip and everybody can just chalk it up as a day they'd rather forget.