By Charlie Leffler
As the clock ticked down to zero, a Reece Gaines heave bounced off the rim and the final score read Saint Louis 59, No. 2 ranked Louisville 58.
The upset win left the Cardinals shaking their heads but left one student reporter’s head spinning.
It was a game where the Cardinals held a seven point lead with just over a minute to go and between squandered opportunities and the Billikens’ Marquee Perry, Saint Louis stormed back to win the game.
However, after the game was over was when the real storming began.
The Saint Louis student section and band had already been warned five times to stay back from the court. Yet, when the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Saviss Center security apparently did not even attempt to stop their rush. Nearly 100 fans stormed over the press tables, leapt over photographers and ran onto the court.
On the left side of the floor, the students also took to the court and nothing was going to stop them.
U of L freshman JP Lyninger, a sports reporter for The Louisville Cardinal, was not up to stopping the riotous rampage that ensued. In a maddened, crazed, rush, the students knocked Lyninger down from behind and climbed atop the press table. The support gave way and wave upon wave of students clamored over and piled atop him.
After anxious minutes, JP was finally pulled to safety by and fan but by then the damage was done. Lyninger could barely make his way out of the ruckus and to an abandoned seat where the band was once seated.
“It was scary,” he said. “I would have been there still if some Texas Longhorn fan hadn’t pulled me out.” Lyninger said that he kept recalling the news of the people who were trampled to death at this year’s hajj .
After being helped off the court, JP was examined in the Saint Louis locker room by team physicians, where it was determined he could possibly have a torn knee ligament.
Upon returning to Louisville, Lyninger was taken to a hospital emergency room for further evaluation and test results are as yet unknown.
“I really didn’t notice my leg at first because I was pinned under the table,” said Lyninger, “then under fans. There were other parts at first that were hurting worse.”
Ironically, it was not only Lyninger’s first assignment on the road covering the Louisville team, but his first basketball game as a reporter.
