PLAYED OUT
It’s an Irish goodbye for Rutgers in 2OT crusher N. DAME 89 RUTGERS 87 West Region 2OT
DAYTON — Geo Baker held his head for several seconds, furious with himself.
This was only the end of the regulation. But Rutgers’ fifth-year senior knew he had the chance to send the Scarlet Knights into the winner’s circle right there. His shot at the horn came up short, and after two dramatic overtime periods, Rutgers was on the short end Wednesday night of a crushing 89-87 defeat to Notre Dame at a jammed UD Arena in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four.
Paul Atkinson Jr.’s offensive rebound and follow with 1.4 seconds left, after Ron Harper Jr. had pulled Rutgers even with 22 seconds to go in the chaotic close to this instant classic, was the game-winner. Baker tried to quickly dribble to half-court, but couldn’t get a shot off in time. His career ended in abject disappointment, as Notre Dame moved on to face sixth-seeded Alabama on Friday in San Diego in a West Region first-round game.
“We came just a little bit short,” Baker said. “It was heartbreaking at the end to come up just short after all we’ve been through. That’s March Madness. That’s how it goes down every year and that’s what makes it so special.”
In the first extra session, Rutgers went up three when Baker beat the shot-clock buzzer with his patented step-back jumper, but Notre Dame responded with five straight points to retake the lead. After Baker missed the front end of a one-andone, he clawed out the offensive rebound and Harper sank a 3-pointer with 49 seconds to go. Rutgers seemed to be in control when it followed that with a stop, only to botch the inbounds play, as Paul Mulcahy threw the ball over Harper’s head and Cormac Ryan scored with 25.5 seconds to go.
The drama was only beginning. Mulcahy atoned with a left-wing 3-pointer on a Baker dish and Blake Wesley scored on the other end, leaving just 2.7 seconds on the clock. Harper’s heave from just inside halfcourt didn’t draw iron, sending the game to a second overtime.
Baker’s left wing 3-pointer got Rutgers even at 67 with 2:36 left in regulation, after it trailed by five just a few minutes earlier. After Nate Laszewski scored on an offensive rebound, giving Notre Dame the lead back, Baker responded with a jumper in the lane with 1:46 left.
Rutgers had the final chance after string
ing together consecutive stops, but Harper and Baker both missed in the final seconds, setting up overtime.
Caleb McConnell led Rutgers with 23 points and Harper had 22. Baker followed with 19. Atkinson had 26 for Notre Dame and Ryan, a Manhattan native, notched 16.
“There’s a lot of pain right now,” Harper said. “Caleb said it best in the locker room, just cherish the moment. Cherish college basketball.”
The opening 20 minutes provided some major surprises. Rutgers took a five-point lead into the break because of its offense. Notre Dame stayed close by pounding the Scarlet Knights in the paint. Neither was typical of either team. It was a high-scoring opening half — another surprise — with 77 points between the teams, each shooting at least 54 percent from the field.
McConnell was the star of the half in his hometown, notching 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting, which was a season high. Rutgers’ strength, its defense, struggled. Cliff Omoruyi picked up two early fouls, and Atkinson was the beneficiary, scoring 16 points. Notre Dame had 30 of its 36 points in the paint, as the Scarlet Knights protected the 3-point line against the sharpshooting Irish.
Rutgers went ahead on the strength of an 11-2 run in which its defense began to stir. Aundre Hyatt rejected Wesley’s dunk attempt, meeting him at the rim for the denial, and Mawot Mag and Harper followed with blocks on ensuing possessions. McConnell closed the half with an exclamation point to his offensive explosion, dropping in a smooth scoop shot at the buzzer.
The Irish retook the lead halfway through the second half following an 11-3 spurt that coincided with Rutgers’ 4:31 field-goal drought. Wesley’s layup, following a basket in the paint from Ryan, made it 55-53 with 9:05 left, leading to a Rutgers timeout. Mulcahy snapped the run with a 3-pointer, but it didn’t stop the Notre Dame momentum. The Irish scored on three of their next four trips down the floor, going up five with 6:08 left on Dane Goodwin’s three-point play.
“Tip of the hat to Notre Dame, they were one possession better,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “But this group has been unbelievable for three years, I wish it would never end. They’ve given everything to our program, I just wish it would never end.”