Cabahug, a nephew of former PBA superstar Elmer Cabahug, swung his right forearm on the face of the UP point guard who had just been fouled by Marvin Poloyapoy of Adamson. It came with 4:37 left in the game.
Players from both teams engaged in a shouting match at centercourt with some pushing and shoving. A couple of players nearly came to blows.
After order was restored, the referees decided to eject Adamson’s Mark Abadia for storming into the court during the commotion which happened in front of the Falcons’ bench.
Poloyapoy was called for the foul but Cabahug got away with it and was not even warned. He went on to finish the physical game which was won by the Maroons, 66-55.
Everything changed yesterday after the UAAP technical committee and commissioner Edmundo "Ato" Badolato tackled the incident during an emergency meeting.
Upon reviewing the tape, the technical committee established that Cabahug was the one who triggered the near-fight and was therefore suspended – not Abadia who was only issued a warning.
"It was a hard foul that came on a dead-ball situation. A foul had already been called on Poloyapoy when Cabahug hit Cruz," Badolato told The STAR.
"Poloyapoy’s foul on Cruz was merely a frustration foul. But not Cabahug’s, leading to his suspension. Abadia was warned for entering the court and will be allowed to play in their next game," he added.
Adamson had a great start this year, winning three of their first four games, including a stunner over La Salle. But it’s been downhill from there as they lost five of their next six games for a 4-6 slate.
Cabahug will serve his suspension on Thursday when Adamson and La Salle meet for the second time this year. Another loss for the Falcons will further dampen their spirits and their hopes for the Final Four. — Abac Cordero