Grant suspended two games

Posted Feb 24, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Feb 24, 2011 at 05:17 PM

University of South Florida women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez has suspended senior Porche Grant for two games for not representing the university and program in a positive manner, and not adhering to the Big East Conference sportsmanship policy, according to a statement released by USF on Thursday.

The suspension stems from Grant’s actions in Wednesday night’s 52-46 loss to Rutgers. Grant was ejected from the game after being called for a flagrant technical foul with 38.6 seconds remaining. As she walked off the court, she also made obscene gestures with her hands toward Rutgers fans.

The suspension will cover the Bulls’ final two regular season games, at Villanova on Saturday and at home Monday against Georgetown, which is USF’s Senior Night.

“I want to apologize to my coaches, my teammates, the University of South Florida and the Big East Conference for my actions leaving the floor against Rutgers on Wednesday night,” Grant said in the statement. “Although the game was extremely hard played between both USF and Rutgers, and my frustration in having just fouled, this is no excuse for how I handled myself. This is not who I am as a person and I have to accept responsibilities for my actions.”

Grant, who is averaging 6.9 points and a team-best 8.9 rebounds per game this season, will be eligible to return for the Big East Tournament. The conference will not impose any additional penalties, according to Big East director of communications Sara Naggar.