College Basketball Game Delayed After Bats Invaded Court and Freaked Out Players

Tuesday night’s game between Nevada and Sacramento State was delayed by multiple bats.

Halloween may have passed, but Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game between Nevada and Sacramento State still had some spooky unwelcome visitors. 

Late in the second half, several bats descended upon the court, forcing a suspension of play. The bats flew right near the playing surface, far to close for comfort for players and coaches. Sacramento State’s Alex Kovatchev visibly recoiled when one of the bats flew by him as he prepared to inbound the ball. That’s when play was halted. 

It‘s tough to tell exactly how many bats were circling the court but it looked to be at least five or six. 

We've entered a bat delay at Lawlor! 🦇 pic.twitter.com/qR8RQbT748

— Nevada Sports Net (@NevadaSportsNet) November 8, 2023

An arena staffer brought out a large net in an attempted to ensnare the bats, while members of the Nevada coach staff brandished clipboards and towels in self defense. 

Craig Neal keeps trying to catch bats with a towel pic.twitter.com/gLHxZAbWJp

— morrisoncrying (@morrisoncrying) November 8, 2023

Bats at Nevada’s home arena in Reno aren’t anything new. Similar delays occurred in 2017, at which point the Nevada Department of Wildlife estimated there could be as many as 30 bats living inside the arena. This is the time of year when Brazilian bats pass through the Reno area on their way south for the winter. 

The situation on Tuesday was eventually resolved and Nevada won the game, 77–63. With his team on the winning side of the unusual game, Wolf Pack coach Steve Alford was able to joke about the strange delay. A reporter asked Alford if he was thinking at all during the game about his former college coach, Bob Knight, who died last week. 

“Yeah, I wondered what his thoughts would have been with the bats,” Alford said. “Because there was a lot of things that came to mind. There was a time I thought about throwing a chair.”