baller, I think you did the right thing. It's really sad that there are women out there that think they can push a guy around physically and get away with it simply because they are a female. You do have a right to defend yourself, regardless if it is a guy or a girl that is going after you. I wouldn't think twice about defending myself if a girl attacked me physically; I would just try to end the confrontation as quickly as possible without using punches (unless she punched me first and actually landed the punch and not some wild miss). And there are many ways you can do this - unless she is Chyna from the WWE or Xena, Warrior Princess, you can do things like turn her wrists or hold her and somewhat squeeze her until she calms down, etc. Reminds me of the saying (paraphrasing here) - if you can't lick the tiger, then don't grab it by its tail.
George: "Should we be talkin' about this?" Elaine: "I think it's OK." George: "No, it isn't." Jerry: "Why not?" George: "Well, it would be OK if Darryl was here." Jerry: "If he's black." Elaine: "Is he black?" Jerry: "Does it matter?" Elaine: "No, course not. I mean, I'd just like to know." Jerry: "Oh, so you need to know?" Elaine: "No, I don't need to know. I just think it would be nice if I knew."