Nasty Nati falls in opening round of TBT, 70-66

by Ryan Roberts

It was a wild night inside Fifth Third Arena in the opening round of The Basketball Tournament. 

Nasty Nati started the game with just six players and had one player show up midway through the second quarter.

With several key members of the roster unavailable, Nasty Nati jumped out to a 22-13 lead over About Billions with 7:58 remaining in the second quarter, primarily by playing three bigs and two guards.

The next four minutes would swing momentum the other way, as About Billions outscored Nasty Nati 15-3.

The key sequence during About Billions' run came when Bearcat leading scorer Mamadou Diarra was ejected following a hard foul from the opposition. It's unclear what Diarra did or said but the ejection left Nasty Nati with just six players for the rest of the game. About Billions was also down to six players after their entire bench was ejected, minus Trevor Moore, for leaving the bench during the scrum on the baseline.

Moore, a former Bearcat under Mick Cronin, would come off the bench and torch his former teammates. 

With Nasty Nati leading 30-28 at the half, Moore scored 12 third quarter points as About Billions outscored the Cincinnati alums 29-13 to take a commanding 57-43 lead in to the final period.

Moore opened the fourth quarter with another three-pointer to extend the lead to 60-43, the biggest lead of the game.

Nasty Nati then came alive and picked up the defensive intensity, outscoring About Billions 13-0 over the next 4:12.

Following a Jarron Cumberland free throw, the Elam ending was set at 68 points with About Billions leading 60-56. 

The Elam Ending is a staple of the TBT and is better explained as the final target score. Unlike traditional basketball rules, in which the game is played with four timed quarters, with the Elam Ending format, teams end the game by playing to a target score

Trailing by four and looking to inch closer to the target score of 68, Jarron Cumberland took a bad pass the other way and threw up a lob to Octavious Ellis. The dunk attempt was missed and Tyonte Robertson made a three at the other end to push the lead back to seven, 63-56.

Jarron Cumberland scored six of seven to give Nasty Nati a 66-65 lead but multiple missed opportunities prevented Nasty Nati from closing the game out.

After Trevor Moore made two-of-three free throws to give his team a 67-66 lead, Octavious Ellis missed a short jumper at the rim. 

About Billions grabbed the rebound and Tyonte Robertson made a three at the other end for a 70-66 win. 

With Zip Em Up losing prior to Nasty Nati's loss, the TBT will conclude with both local teams being eliminated in the first round of The Basketball Tournament.

Final Stats:

- Despite starting the game 0-for-17 from the field, Jarron Cumberland finished with 16 points to lead Nasty Nati. The former Bearcat great finished 4-of-21 for the game and 0-for-9 from three. Not a great shooting night from a guy that was one of the best players in the tournament last summer. 

- Former Bearcat Trevor Moore finished with a game high 23 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three. He discussed coming back to Cincinnati following the game and the feeling of having a great game against former teammates.

 

 

- Nysier Brooks (14 points) and Coreontae DeBerry (13 points) were the only other members of Nasty Nati to reach double figures. Mamadou Diarra finished his night with 7 points prior to being ejected. 

- Nasty Nati played without the services of Marquez Letcher-Ellis, Jacob Evans, Tre Scott, and Isaiah Miller, among others. On a night where they struggled to defend the perimeter and were also out-rebounded (44-35), the extra bodies would have been beneficial late in the game when Nasty Nati missed multiple free throws and looks at the rim to win the game. 

- Nasty Nati made 20-of-25 free throws but missed 2-of-15 from deep. Nasty Nati turned 19 About Billions turnovers in to 19 points. 

How it ended:

 

 

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

Back to UC Sports