Nasty Nati Takes Out Zip Em Up 77-73, Advances to The Basketball Tournament Regional Final

It's an extra sweet win for the UC alums.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Jul 22, 2023 10:19 PM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Nasty Nati toppled Zip Em Up 77-73 in a fitting pseudo-installment of the Crosstown Shootout to move onto The Basketball Tournament regional Final.

Jacob Evans (22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) was money all night and right when Nati needed it most with the game-winning three-pointer. It's been a strong run for the team after they fell in the first contest last year.

Jarron Cumberland (23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) was bullying opponents again on Saturday, and Troy Caupain (6 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) found some clutch buckets when the team needed them most.

Running In Cintas

Nati sported a massive 30-5 run at one point in this game, and then a couple of bonus opportunities at the line flipped things back toward Zip Em Up to create a classic finish in front of the Cintas crowd.

Cumberland and Evans were the only Nati players to hit double figures as the team cooled off from deep (6-of-16). Still, that duo combined to go 5-of-10 from outside and hit some high-level triples in the fourth quarter to keep ZEU at bay.

Nati came back on Saturday with the same kind of aggression towards the free-throw line. Cumberland (9-of-10 FTs) led that charge and a few fast breaks which sparked the initial Nati run.

Zip Em Up found their flow a bit to finish with 17 assists in a game they were shooting 19% in deep into the second quarter.

Caupain Calms

Caupain had a rough night shooting (3-of-11 FGs) and missed a free throw that would've ended the game, but he found some quality looks for his teammates all night.

He is the exact floor general needed for a contest that got pretty tense and chippy at times. Caupain commanded the offense in the halfcourt and was heady with his rebounding positioning.

Nati now gets a day to rest before taking on the No. 1 seeded team in the region, The Program For Autism, at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can watch on ESPN+.

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