Georgetown vs. China Exhib. Basketball Game Ends in Brawl

Big East basketball doesn't go over well in China.

Like many college basketball teams, Georgetown is on a tour of a foreign country this summer.  They are in China, playing a series of exhibition games. 

These games are usually friendly affairs, the teams exchange gifts and pleasantries and a usually uneventful basketball game takes place.

This one didn't go as planned as ou will see in the video above.

A battle royal broke out in the fourth quarter as members of both teams tackled and threw punches at one another. Chairs and water bottles were also thrown as the Georgetown players left the court with about nine-and-a-half minutes remaining.

Chinese club teams are known for their dirty play, and this fight was triggered when Bayi Rocket's forward-center Hu Ke was called for a foul against Georgetown's Jason Clark. The senior guard took exception to the hard foul and said so to Hu, sparking an exchange of shoves. That's when players from the Georgetown and Bayi benches ran onto the court.

The Georgetown Hoyas are in China on a 10-day goodwill trip which has been cited by the U.S. State Department as an example of sports diplomacy that strengthens ties between the two countries' peoples. The team was briefed by the State Department ahead of its departure on what to expect during its trip to Beijing and Shanghai, according to news releases on the university's website.

"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," Coach John Thompson III said.

A U.S. Embassy official called it an "unfortunate" incident.

"We look to these types of exchanges to promote good sportsmanship and strengthen our people-to-people contact with China," the official said.