South Carolina, Missouri women’s basketball feuding over allegations of fans spitting on players

The South Carolina and Missouri women’s basketball teams are at odds over accusations stemming from the aftermath of a weekend matchup between the two schools.

The game, which resulted in a 64-55 Gamecocks’ win, was a heated affair that even saw the two teams getting into a first-half scuffle.

After the game, former Mizzou player Sierra Michaelis, who was in attendance, tweeted she saw Gamecocks fans spitting on Tigers players.

Mizzou’s head coach addressed the allegations earlier this week.

“I was really disappointed with some things that transpired,” coach Robin Pingeton said Tuesday via the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. “There’s no place in our game for that. Fans got to be better all around. Our side, their side, everybody’s side. Fans got to be better. These are daughters playing a game they love to play. There were certainly some things that were really unfortunate that transpired, not only verbally and some other things (spitting) you alluded to. It’s really unfortunate. But you’ve got two fan bases that are passionate and just got to clean it up a little bit.”

Tigers athletic director Jim Sterk took things even further in an interview with KTGR 1580 AM in Missouri. On Tuesday, Sterk suggested racial slurs were involved, and he even brought Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley into things.

“We had players spit on and called the ‘N’ word and things like that,” Sterk said, as transcribed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I mean it was not a good environment and unfortunately and I think Coach (Dawn) Staley promoted that kind of atmosphere. And it’s unfortunate that she felt she had to do that.”

South Carolina AD Ray Tanner addressed Sterk’s allegations on Wednesday. He made clear he supports Staley and said he’d discussed the situation with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

“Her involvement in this community, her personal foundation. She lives the talk. She’s not just a coach that gets out front once in a while. That is her lifestyle. We all know who she is. We certainly know what she stands for and we’re extremely proud of what she’s done her, so comments that were made, we don’t understand that and only Jim Sterk can explain his reasoning.”

Staley also said the accusations were “serious and false” before defending Gamecocks fans:

“Our fans are great. They’re loyal, they’re passionate, they understand basketball, they understand how to act in the stands. And if I could uproot them and put them in every women’s basketball arena, every coach that represented that particular fanbase would be tremendously proud of what they bring to the table. And I stand by our fans, I stand by what they represent, I stand by how they cheer, I stand every single thing that they bring to the building, because it’s appropriate and well within the rules of the game.”

Gamecocks men’s head coach Frank Martin also issued a message of support for Staley on Twitter:

We’ll see if Missouri’s coach or Sterk responds, or if Sankey gets involved from here.