This was March Madness of a different kind.

A brawl broke out in the stands Tuesday night late in the NEC Tournament title game in Smithfield, R.I. — and that was only part of what made it an ugly evening for Wagner. There was also a beatdown on the court.

The Seahawks trailed by 30 points late in the first half, and the night didn’t get any better. Not only did they again fall short of reaching the NCAA Tournament after being thoroughly outplayed by top-seeded Bryant in a 70-43 rout, but also the loss included an ugly fight between the teams’ fans behind the Wagner bench late in the second half.

Seahawks guard Will Martinez, who tried to reach the melee, was ejected. After a 30-minute delay, the game resumed and finished without incident. With 2.6 seconds left, the officials stopped the game and allowed the Wagner contingent to leave the floor before Bryant fans stormed the court.

“I don’t even know what happened, I just wanted to get the game started again,” said Bryant coach Jared Grasso, the former Iona associate head coach. “Unfortunate incident. I don’t know how it started, why it started, what took place. … Thankfully we were able to [finish the game].”

For the third time since 2016, Wagner advanced to the final, only to fall short. At least, this one wasn’t as painful as the previous two losses, which were decided by a total of 18 points.

The second-seeded Seahawks (21-6) trailed 36-6 at one point in the first half and were down 38-12 at halftime. Coach Bashir Mason changed the color of jersey he wears in honor of injured senior Elijah Ford, but that didn’t work. The closest his team got was 21.

It was a nightmare of an evening for Alex Morales, the two-time NEC Player of the Year, who scored three points on 0-for-16 shooting. The absence of Ford, who tore his ACL in early February, was a factor. Not only in this game, but late in the regular season as Wagner lost out on home- court advantage to top-seeded Bryant. It was a sour end for the Seahawks’ six seniors who went 34-13 the past two seasons and won an NEC regular-season title a year ago.

“This senior group we had was a special, special group,” Mason said. “Those guys have done a lot for the program.”

Peter Kiss scored 34 for Bryant (22-9), which is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. A good portion of the animated New York City native’s baskets in the first half were followed by taunts or gestures to the crowd. Wagner was unable to stop him.

“He’s the player of the year. He’s the best player in the league, he’s the most dominant player in the league,” Grasso said. “It was shown tonight.”

With 4:37 left and Bryant up by 36 points, the fights broke out. Drinks and bottles went flying. Punches were thrown. The game was stopped. The teams went back to their respective locker rooms and the game resumed after a half-hour delay. A group of fans behind the Wagner bench was kicked out.