PROVIDENCE – While a potentially dangerous scene at Saturday night’s Providence College basketball game with Marquette was avoided, officials say they are very concerned about a security lapse that allowed a fan to walk onto the court and confront a referee.

 With 17:15 left in PC’s eventual 91-82 loss to No. 14 Marquette, Jeff Xavier drove to the hoop and was hit in the eye, apparently by the inadvertent elbow of the Golden Eagles’ Joseph Fulce. No foul was called but Geoff McDermott scooped up the loose ball and was fouled by Fulce.

 Xavier rolled on the court in obvious pain, holding his right eye and continually kicking his legs as trainer Ben Rhode rushed to his aid. Xavier made it off the court and to PC’s bench but as McDermott waited to take his free throws, a man brazenly walked down from the stands, pushed his way through the middle of PC’s bench and strode onto the court. The man then walked into the free throw lane towards a referee and began to make a gesture before one security guard finally reached him.

 The man was later identified as Jonathan Xavier, a brother of Jeff Xavier. Jonathan Xavier, 24 of Pawtucket, never touched the referee but players and coaches from both teams couldn’t believe their eyes as security guards led him off the floor without incident.

 “I’ve seen some interesting things,’’ said PC coach Keno Davis. “I’ve been going to games since I was born so I’ve seen some really unusual things but that one probably doesn’t even make the list. When you see something like that, you just hope the players don’t get hurt because you never know what’s going to happen in a situation like that.’’

 Marquette coach Buzz Williams was clearly upset afterwards and threatened the officials at the time to take his team off the court for good. “Scary. Scary,’’ said Williams. “I’ve never seen anything like that. You never know what will happen.’’

 Jonathan Xavier was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct by the Providence police. He was released just before midnight and ordered to appear in court at a later date. Xavier owns an extensive criminal record, including being sentenced to serve eight months at the ACI in 2005 for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Attempts to reach Jonathan Xavier yesterday failed. A phone number he gave to police Saturday night was no longer in service. Jeff Xavier was not available for comment either.

 As the Friars get set to return to action tonight against Cincinnati, officials at PC and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center faced questions about the safety of the fans, players and coaches. Lawrence Lepore, the general manager at the arena, said four Providence Police officers were on duty at the game, plus the facility’s extensive security force. In a video of the incident that was widely available on the internet yesterday, Xavier was seen walking down a flight of stairs to the left of the PC bench. He walked past one security guard and then pushed aside two Friar players in the middle of the team bench as he accessed the court. A security guard stationed about 20 feet behind the bench saw Xavier reach the court and immediately started after him but his access to the court was blocked a bit.

 Once the two security guards reached Xavier, they pulled him away from the referee and players and walked him off the floor without a struggle.

 “I don’t like the fact that he was able to get to an official,’’ said Lepore. “Clearly we need to get to that person before he gets to a player or official. We’ll re-think the way we do things, for sure.’’

 While the Dunk’s security staff is always noticeable behind the visitor’s bench, there is no police presence behind the Providence bench. Many schools around the country place a uniformed officer next to the head coach for security reasons. Lepore said what clearly needs to be addressed is making sure his security officers “have an open lane to get right to the court. That’s a big concern of mine.’’

 While the incident report filed with police stated that Xavier was not suspected of using alcohol or drugs, Lepore noted that the 9 p.m. start time could have led to additional drinking. He said there were more incidents of fighting than usual in a crowd announced at 10,221.

 PC’s Davis said he hopes that The Dunk’s security force can be improved. “I’m sure that the staff here at the Dunk will work to be better prepared,’’ he said. “Just like we go through a game, you try to get better for the next time. We’ve got to make sure that we increase the security and how are they going to handle things (in the future). It’s just unique.’’

 Davis added that “anytime any fan or anyone takes the court, that’s not where they are supposed to be. It doesn’t matter if it’s a relative or not. You understand that the players get caught up in the heat of the night and so do fans but we’ve got to make sure we keep the fans off the court.’’

 Jeff Xavier’s status for PC’s game against Cincinnati is unclear but it is doubtful he’ll be able to play. He did not return to the game Saturday and his eye “was completely closed in the locker room,’’ according to Davis.

 Players from both teams were remarkably unfazed. Marquette senior Jerel McNeal said he’s seen fans walk onto the floor in AAU and high school games “al the time’’ back home in Chicago. PC guard Marshon Brooks replaced Jeff Xavier in the Friar lineup and while he said he wasn’t sure what was unfolding, he said he knew Jonathan Xavier and wasn’t unnerved. “I know him. I wasn’t scared. He thought that his brother got fouled, I guess. He wanted to get an explanation.’’

 - With reports from Journal Staff Writer Gregory Smith