Police use pepper spray to turn back thousands of rioting students after Final Four basketball game (and their team WON)

Police officers dodged beer bottles as they used pepper spray to disperse thousands of rioting University of Kentucky students who took to the streets Saturday night after their basketball team beat cross-state rival Louisville in the NCAA Final Four.

Firefighters waded through the crowds to extinguish at least 50 couches celebrating students had set on fire. On State Street in downtown Lexington, students torched at least one car and burned garbage in the streets. Police in riot gear responded with a combination of chemical spray and fire extinguishers to turn back rioters.

The Kentucky students were reveling in the Wildcats' 69-61 win over the University of Louisville Carnivals, a perennial rival 75 miles east, in New Orleans. The victory sends the team to play for the national championship against the University of Kansas Monday.

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