We don't mean to imply that those who riot after sporting events are less about celebration and more about "hey, let's set some shit on fire," but last night, after the Maryland women's basketball team won the national championship in overtime over Duke, Maryland's "fans" started a riot. Over a woman's basketball game. Quoth one rioter:

"This is my craziest riot," said a woman who identified herself as Shelley Avney. "Trying to knock over a bus, tearing down street signs, burning things — it's crazy."

Funny, we rioted with Avney back in 1993, after Sheryl Swoopes and Texas Tech's title, and we would have thought that would have been her craziest riot. You think you know a person. Live and learn, we guess. Anyway, that's not even the best rioter quote.

"I was disappointed we didn't flip over the bus," said Shea Hoxie, 21, a senior majoring in government and politics and criminology. "We rioted for the women's basketball team, which is out of character for us. We needed something to cheer for."

We agree; if a criminology major can't figure out how to properly flip over a bus in an "out-of-character" celebration, what hope is there for the rest of us. But hey: Sometimes you just need something to cheer for.

U-Md. Team's Victory Prompts Uproar by Fans [Washington Post]

(UPDATE: Of course, let's not get carried away. Observers say it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been in the past.

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