Nasty Nati Dominates Program For Autism 76-51 to Win The Basketball Tournament Xavier Regional

Nasty Nati now moves on to play in Dayton.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Jul 24, 2023 9:11 PM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Nasty Nati made it a trio of victories in The Basketball Tournament, taking down The Program For Autism 76-51 on Monday night to win the Xavier regional.

Cincinnati's strong defense and another great outing from Jarron Cumberland (26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) drove home the victory.

Cincinnati now travels to Dayton, Ohio for the quarterfinals and will then head to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania if they make the semifinals.

The Dayton Regional tips off later this week and Nati plays the winner of that region on July 31 at 7 p.m. ET.

Defense Dominates

PFA was the second-highest-scoring team in the tournament (88 PPG) entering this game as a team with multiple ballhandlers and plenty of size.

Nati matched that with great team defense, ball screen switches and a clear goal not to let it's opponent run in transition. It resulted in a 30% field goal mark and just one player scoring in double figures.

NN's mantra of just setting a defensive gameplan and letting the offense come naturally is working out fantastically so far in this event. The constant communication and relentless effort on loose balls was a big boon for a dominant win.

Nati notched 9 steals on the night and won the fast break point battle. Cumberland was an absolute menace in that respect, leading the team with (106.5 defensive rating). The team now has three games playing together and they are getting more insync on the defensive end with each outing.

Rice product Marquez Letcher-Ellis (4 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) has to get a shoutout.

The rangy defensive wing would've fit right in with these old Bearcat players at UC. He was extremely active defensively, leading the team in blocks, while finishing second in rebounds. Letcher-Ellis fouls a little too much, but you'll take it with that kind of activity.

Cumberland Closes

Cumberland was the only Nati player to shoot over 50% on more than six shots. He got to the spots he's found all tournament and continued showing why he is leading all of TBT 2023 in points per game.

Cumberland played PFA anyway they wanted him to. Take out the inside driving early? Two quick triples in the first quarter. Start to shade the jumpshot? Cumberland bullied his way inside for easy looks at the rim and a 7-of-7 night at the charity stripe.

Jacob Evans (23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) lost some efficiency on Monday night, but the threat of his jumper helped open things up for his teammates and he was very strong on the defensive end.

The team now awaits the Dayton champ with a week off before the TBT quarterfinals.

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