Notre Dame beats Rutgers in double OT to cap First Four

DAYTON, Ohio  — Paul Atkinson Jr. was in the suitable place on the proper time for Notre Dame because the clock wound down within the second time beyond regulation interval towards relentless Rutgers.

Atkinson rebounded a missed shot by Blake Wesley and put again a layup with 1.4 seconds left to offer the Irish an 89-87 win in a wild First 4 recreation and put them right into a first-round West Area contest on Friday in San Diego.

“Properly, let me begin by saying Completely happy St. Patrick’s Day to everybody right here,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey stated. “And also you discover that Paul’s shot went in at 12:02 (EST) on St. Patrick’s Day, so perhaps there was somewhat little bit of karma there.”

Atkinson, a graduate switch from Yale and former Ivy League Participant of the Yr, capped his best recreation of the season, main the Irish with 26 factors and 6 rebounds.

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“Blake, I noticed him driving to the rim,” Atkinson stated. “I knew he was going to go arduous, both get a foul or make a bucket. I simply wished to observe up if it was a miss and no name. I simply wished to chase after the ball. Bought it up and bought a superb bucket.”

Ron Harper Jr. had tied it with a protracted 3-pointer for Rutgers with 22 seconds left within the second OT earlier than Atkinson received the scrum below the basket and put up the winner.

“They have been one possession higher,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell stated.

Nate Laszewski had 18 and Cormac Ryan 16 for the Irish (23-10).

“I haven’t felt like this in a very long time,” Atkinson stated. “It’s superb. Bunch of cameras on you. Large highlight, final recreation of the night time. Undoubtedly bought my teammates to cheer with. It’s simply superior. Bought household up within the stands. Couldn’t ask for something higher.”

Caleb McConnell, the Large Ten Defensive Participant of the Yr, had a career-high 23 factors and Harper had 22 for the Scarlet Knights (18-11), who had knocked off 5 ranked groups on their convention schedule.

Each groups shot a good 51% for the sport.

McConnell scored 18 factors on 8-of-9 taking pictures from the ground as Rutgers constructed a 41-36 lead on the half. He put the ending touches on the scoring earlier than intermission, going the size of the court docket and placing up a fast-break layup on the buzzer.

Rutgers went up by eight to open the second half on Harper’s 3-pointer, however Notre Dame chipped away. The Irish bought up by as many as 5 late earlier than the sport bought tight once more.

Geo Baker’s 3-pointer tied it at 69 for Rutgers with 1:24 left. Rutgers bought the ball again, however Harper and Baker each missed photographs that may have given the Scarlet Knights the win in regulation.

“Now we have an unbelievably gritty group,” Ryan stated. “We do not give up. I imply, so pleased with how we performed and battled. And our struggle, man, you actually cannot educate that.”

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“If there’s a greater recreation within the NCAA Event, I gotta see it,” Brey stated. “That was an unbelievable school basketball recreation. They usually’re actually good. And hard. And fearless. And I am actually pleased with our group as a result of we simply stored hanging in. We have grown quite a bit within the psychological toughness space.”

BIG PICTURE

Notre Dame: Fought again from a halftime deficit, would not go away and eventually discovered a strategy to win it.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights performed properly sufficient to win, however did not make the most of possibilities to place away the Irish.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame advances to a first-round recreation Friday towards No. 6 Alabama in San Diego