The push happened with about 2 minutes remaining in the Tigers' 79-72 loss to South Carolina in Greenville ... after Johnson had gotten tangled up with Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley.

You can see in video from the game's broadcast that following the physical play on the court, Johnson nudged Ashlyn Watkins on her way back to her bench. That prompted Kamilla Cardoso to run into the skirmish and put her hands all over Johnson.

After the LSU guard hit the ground, all hell broke loose ... as players from both teams raced onto the floor. At one point, a man ID'ed on the game's broadcast as Johnson's brother even got involved ... jumping over the scorer's table to see the action up close.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and both squads returned to their ends of the court without much further issue.

Six players in total -- including Cardoso -- were ejected from the matchup. Johnson's brother, meanwhile, was led away from the court in handcuffs, but an LSU spokesperson told The Advocate he was not arrested.

Cardoso -- who could be forced to miss some NCAA tournament time now due to her role in the tussle -- went on to apologize for it all in a post on X after the game.

"My behavior was not representative of who I am as a person or the South Carolina program," she wrote, "and I deeply regret any discomfort or inconvenience it may have caused."

As for where Angel Reese was during the whole mix, she wrote in a post on her own X page, "As a person at my STATUS, sometimes you have to walk away from certain situations."

"Mind you," she added, "the play before that I had rolled my ankle AGAIN and was already walking to the bench. I ALWAYS ride for mine. I’m super proud of this team & super excited for march. #geauxtigers."