Even in the craziest of Wittenberg-Wooster games, the rivalry that has given Pam Evans Smith Arena the most memorable games over the years, fans at Wittenberg had never seen anything like this.

Players munched popcorn on the court. One player climbed on top of the rim and laid down on it. Another stole a purse from a woman in the front row and then gave it back to her as a wrapped present.

The entire team at one point ran the offense in slow motion for one possession, and in the final seconds of the first half, the score inexplicably changed by 10 points to benefit the losing team.

That’s the Harlem Globetrotters’ brand of basketball, and it has entertained audiences for 87 years now. On Tuesday night, the Globetrotters, with players such as Bull, Bingo and Big Easy, of Amazing Race fame, visited Springfield for the first time and played in front of a crowd of close to 2,000 fans. Of course, they won, beating Global Select, who used to be known as the Washington Generals, 96-86.

Wittenberg athletic director Garnett Purnell grew up watching the Globetrotters.

“Every time they were on TV, I was watching,” he said. “I was probably their No. 1 fan.”

Dr. Wendell Lutz, a member of Wittenberg’s Board of Directors, helped bring the show to town. He contacted a former Wittenberg tennis teammate, Bill Barrett, who’s a senior vice president for the Globetrotters.

“I said, ‘Bill, have you ever tried to get the Globetrotters to come to Wittenberg?’ ” Lutz said. “And he said, ‘Oh, I’ve tried a number of times. They’re never interested.’ I said, ‘Do you mind if I try?’ ”

From there, Lutz called Purnell and worked out the financial arrangements. The event benefited the Wittenberg tennis teams.

In addition to Barrett, Wittenberg has another connection to the Globetrotters. Tony Wilcox played basketball at Wittenberg, graduated in 1960 and then played four seasons with the Globetrotters. He was introduced at halftime and shook hands with all the current players on the court.

“It’s a different type of basketball, a different type of entertainment,” Wilcox said. “When I played, it was more basketball and less entertainment, but the guys are very talented basketball players.”