BYU's Nick Emery suspended by conference for striking Utah player

The West Coast Conference suspended BYU guard Nick Emery on Thursday, a day after he struck Utah's Brandon Taylor in the face.

Emery was issued a Flagrant-2 "fighting" foul, which comes with an ejection and an automatic one-game suspension, forcing him to miss Saturday's game against Weber State.

"West Coast Conference student-athletes are expected to adhere to the WCC's code of conduct, which includes sportsmanship principles and standards," conference commissioner Lynn Holzman said in a statement. "Sportsmanship is an essential core value of intercollegiate athletics and a value strongly reinforced by all of the members of the WCC. Mr. Emery's behavior is unacceptable and he is being appropriately reprimanded."

Emery made news after appearing to intentionally dish a nasty forearm to Taylor. He'll likely return to the court against Utah State next Wednesday.

“I apologize to Brandon Taylor for the incident that happened in the game last night," Emery said. "He’s a great competitor and I got caught up in the intensity of the game and let my emotions get the best of me. I also want to apologize to Coach Krystkowiak, his team, the fans of both schools, and my teammates and coaches."