WATCH: New Orleans player chokes teammate during heated exchange in First Four loss

The two teammates' exchange escalated quickly after tensions rose in an eventual loss to Mount St. Mary's

By Kyle Boone

Mar 14, 2017 at 11:54 pm ET • 1 min read

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The first official game of the NCAA Tournament was a fun one. Mount St. Maryâs and New Orleans came down to the wire before a late turnover from the Mountaineers sealed the deal.

But tension between New Orleans teammates in the second half stole the headline. During a heated exchange between Travin Thibodeaux and Christavious Gill, the two got into a bit of a shoving match ... which resulted in Thibodeaux choking his teammate.

Being hyped and emotional is one thing, this is a bit much among teammates. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/fB3WT43VLw
— Clayton Crowe (@CCroweNBADraft) March 15, 2017

The two had to be separated by teammates and coaches after the incident, and Thibodeaux stayed on the bench after the incident that took place during a timeout.

New Orleans went on to lose the game 67-66.