Ted Cruz Beats Jimmy Kimmel in Basketball Showdown

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Saturday emerged victorious after facing off against his opponent, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, on the basketball court. The final score was 11 to 9.

After promoting the match-up dubbed "The Blobfish Basketball Classic" all week long, Kimmel and Cruz competed in the one-on-one game at Texas Southern University.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host had talked a big game ahead of the event, promising to deliver "Ted Cruz's second most-embarrassing loss to a TV host in recent memory" when they squared off. Cruz responded with a practice video.

The idea originated when Kimmel likened Cruz to a "blobfish" after the Texas senator attended game seven during the NBA's Western Conference Finals. Cruz responded on Twitter by challenging the TV host to a battle on the court, and Kimmel accepted.

The contest initially was set as the first to 15, with each basket counting as a single point, but the game got cut short because it was reportedly running too long. Kimmel and Cruz played for two Houston charities — Generation One and Texas Children's Hospital, respectively — with the loser set to donate $5,000 to the winner's pick. Attendees were invited to donate to any cause of their choosing.

Heading into the game, Cruz (with home state advantage) was favored to win at 5-11, while Kimmel was listed at 8-5, according to online betting site Bovada.

The showdown will air Monday night on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Lauren Huff contributed to this report.