It was only fitting that the much-anticipated alumni version of the Crosstown Shootout would come down to the wire between Xavier-based Zip 'Em Up and UC-based Nasty 'Nati in the second round of The Basketball Tournament (TBT).

With the winner-take-all Elam Ending in effect and nearly the entire Cintas Center crowd on its feet, it was Nasty 'Nati who delivered the final blow with Jacob Evans sank a game-winning three-pointer from the left wing to end Zip 'Em Up's TBT run Saturday night in the regional semifinals.

"I told them I was really proud of them," Zip 'Em Up head coach Rick Carter said. "We're gonna live with that shot (Evans). Obviously, you'd rather be on the other side of it, where they miss and we get a rebound and pull out a win. Truly, hats off to them. It's a pleasure coaching our guys."

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After the win, Evans downplayed the rivalry now that each athlete is in the professional stage of their respective career.

"We're all laughing. We're all having fun. I think that rivalry is great for college sports, don't get me wrong, but everyone is here as an adult. We're gonna treat the game the right way," Carter said. "The guys have fun with it, too."

Evans and Jarron Cumberland, who led UC to its last Crosstown Shootout victory in 2018, combined for 45 points and 16 rebounds on 14-of-30 shooting.

"We played pretty good defense. He just made a shot," Semaj Christon said. "We got back into the game, competed and had fun. That's all you can ask for. Yeah, we wanted to win, but he made a tough shot."

After a thrilling comeback win in the first round Friday night, Zip 'Em Up once again put themselves in a hole with a poor first half offensively. Zip 'Em Up took a 6-0 lead out of the gates, but Nasty 'Nati responded by scoring 30 of the game's next 35 points to take its largest lead at 30-11 with 4:16 left in the first quarter.

Zip 'Em Up trimmed the lead to seven by halftime and reclaimed the lead at 49-45 after a personal 7-0 run by Remy Abell, who missed his only shot attempt in 11 minutes of game time on Friday night. Abell scored all nine of his points in the third quarter and added a pair of steals.

"That's how Remy (Abell) was as a college basketball player. That's how Remy is as a professional. That's how Remy is on our team," Carter said. "The reason we wanted to get him was because we knew he'd be truly unselfish no matter what was gonna happen and be dependable on the defensive end."

Zip 'Em Up finished just 40.3% from the field for the game. Kerem Kanter fell one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with a team-high 19 points and nine boards. He scored all eight of Zip 'Em Up's fourth-quarter points prior to the Elam Ending, converting an and-1 at the 5:05 mark and connecting from beyond the arc just 35 seconds later.

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Christon, whose mid-range jumper sent Zip 'Em Up to the second round, finished with a 16-point, 11-assist double-double. Nate Johnson, who didn't score in regulation going 0-for-9, had seven of Zip 'Em Up's 10 points during the Elam Ending.

J.P. Macura out

Fan-favorite J.P. Macura, who was announced as part of Xavier's 2023-24 Hall of Fame Induction Class earlier this week, missed Saturday's loss with a back issue. The same injury resulted in a questionable tag for Macura heading into Friday's first-round contest and limited him to just 12 minutes.

"You really can't explain what he brings to the game just because he would've gotten under someone's skin and something crazy would've happened," Carter said. "The whole game would've been different and that's what he brings."

The Sean Miller effect

Saturday's loss marked the end of year No. 3 for Zip 'Em Up, which now owns a 4-3 all-time record in TBT. This was the second season Cintas Center has served as a regional host.

Carter, a former Xavier assistant who has coached Zip 'Em Up all three seasons, said it'd be nice for the team to recruit pieces centered around current head coach Sean Miller.

"Sean Miller is obviously iconic here at this point. I think you try to do something where you bring both of his groups together. You bring Arizona guys, you bring Xavier guys; you put together a team like that. It's something to look at," Carter said. "I think the sky's the limit."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Zip 'Em Up reloads for future TBTs after 2nd-round loss to Nasty 'Nati