Friday’s AAC Tournament college basketball semifinal between UAB and Wichita State got chippy in a hurry! Both teams picked up multiple technical fouls during the first 11 minutes of play and the Blazers saw one of their starters get ejected.
It was entirely warranted!
All of the ill behavior took place on the same play with nine minutes and 51 seconds remaining in the first half. UAB forward Yaxel Lendenborg drove into the lane for a contested layup.
Although the shot went in, junior Alejandro Vasquez was in position to grab his teammate’s rebound if it did not. However, while jostling for leverage, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard threw a hard elbow to the chest of the Shockers’ 6-foot-8, 208-pound forward Isaac Abidde.
The college basketball game quickly devolved from there.
Abbide responded by grabbing Vasquez’s jersey and yanking him away from the play. That did not go over well with the latter, who landed an overhand punch on the former. As he did, the ball went through the hoop.
Vasquez proceeded to flex his muscles and yell in Abidde’s direction. He would not get out of his face while running back up the floor. They were up close and personal until Abidde pushed off.
Tempers flaring in the American
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 15, 2024
UAB’s Alejandro Vasquez has been ejected
Wichita State’s Isaac Abidde has been given a tech pic.twitter.com/pSWLzhsBRd
AAC officials immediately stopped the game to look at what went down. Abidde and Vasquez were both issued a technical foul for their role in the kerfuffle. The foul on Vasquez was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after review. He was thrown out of the game as a result!
Fortunately, although tempers flared early, the two college basketball teams were able to keep their composure through the remaining nine minutes. No further incidents occurred during the first half, though both UAB and Wichita State played with a chip on their shoulder. It was a physical first 20 minutes between two programs trying to play their way into the NCAA Tournament.