PURCHASE, N.Y. -- A Vietnam veteran came onto the court Sunday and held an American flag in front of Manhattanville senior forward Toni Smith after the Division III player again refused to face the flag during the national anthem.

"She disgraced herself and she disgraced the flag,'' said Jerry Kiley, 56, of Rockland County, N.Y., who was ejected from the arena after he walked onto the court during the first break in play.

Kiley approached Smith as she lined up while another player prepared to shoot free throws. He was escorted out of the gym by school security and local police. There were no further protests in Smith's final home game of the regular season, a 63-53 victory over Stevens Tech.

As she has done all season, Smith turned 90 degrees away from the flag as the anthem was played prior to tipoff. Six of her teammates stood at attention with their hands on their chests, while three other teammates stood with their heads bowed and their arms at their sides.

Smith declined to be interviewed after the game.

The sociology major previously released a 250-word statement outlining the reasons for her protest, citing "the inequalities that are embedded into the American system'' and "the war America will soon be entering.''

Her protest is similar to one employed by NBA guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets during the 1995-96 season, which led to an indefinite suspension that was lifted two days later.

Athletes have periodically made political statements, from the black power salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to Muhammad Ali's refusal to serve in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

Earlier this month, Dallas Mavericks guard Steve Nash of Canada wore an anti-war T-shirt to his interview session at the NBA's All-Star weekend.

"She wasn't political until she came to Manhattanville, but she's always had a sense of justice, and she's always been concerned with people who are discriminated against, and with the injustices in this country and in the world,'' said Smith's mother Naomi, a school administrator in Manhattan, where her daughter was raised along with two older siblings.

"Basketball has always been her passion, but she also reads the newspapers, and her professors have encouraged people to think for themselves,'' Smith's mother said.

Manhattanville (16-9) will play another home game Tuesday evening in the first round of the Skyline Conference playoffs.

Smith's protests have drawn national attention to the small liberal arts school in the suburbs north of New York, a school of 1,400 students less than a mile away from the public university where the New York Knicks formerly practiced.

School president Richard Berman has been supportive of Smith's right to express her opinion, regardless of whether he or anyone else agrees or disagrees with her views.

First-year coach Shawn Lincoln has had to try to keep his team focused on basketball at a time when Smith's protest has caused discord in the locker room and provoked protests at several arenas.

He declined to comment on whether a collegiate playing field was an appropriate venue to express one's political views.

Before Thursday's game at Mount St. Mary, the student government handed out small flags before the game. More than 500 people filled the small gym, jeered Smith at every opportunity and sang "God Bless America'' at the end of the game.

When Manhattanville played at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Feb. 11, more than 300 flag-waving midshipmen greeted Smith with chants of "USA'' and "Leave our country.''

By comparison, Sunday's protest was mild.

A handful of fans waving small flags were scattered among the crowd of about 200, and one 4-year-old boy wore a stars-and-stripes bandanna atop his head.

"I firmly believe she has the right to do what she wants, but she's doing it on Manhattanville's dime,'' said the boy's mom, Stacey Jacobson, whose outfit included flag lapels, flag pins and a flag wristwatch. "No one's questioning her beliefs, but she should take it outside.''