verticality/loose ball incidental contact

[CiscoKid]

Hi,

I have a question that hopefully you can answer with specific rule citations.

Situation:
1) No one has possession of a ball that is high in the air,
2) Two opposing players jump to get it, but both make contact with each other in their effort to reach it.

Player A
Jumps for the ball at an angle to intercept the ball with a reasonable chance of not contacting Player B at the time his feet have left the ground.

Player B
Jumps for the ball vertically after Player A's feet have left the ground.

Player A gets the ball. Player B calls a foul.

Player B claims they own the vertical space above their head whether in the air or on the ground and any contact made by the person entering their vertical space is always assumed to be the one who has commited the foul.

Player A claims the principle of verticality shouldn't apply as Player B wasn't guarding Player A nor did he establish a legal guarding position initially as he jumped after Player A did. He claims it was incidental contact reaching for a loose ball which is not always assumed to be a foul.

Does Player B have a legitimate claim to call the foul based on the principle of verticality?

Thanks