Possession after possession. Big shot after big shot. Neither team wanted to let this one get away but in the end, Notre Dame made just one more play.
Ron Harper Jr. nailed a long three to tie the game at 87 with 22 seconds left. The Scarlet Knights did not have an answer for Paul Atkinson all night. The Irish big man grabbed an offensive rebound and covered a putback to give Notre Dame an 89-87 victory at the UD Arena in Dayton. Atkinson scored a game-high 26 points on 13-of-16 shooting.
Rutgers ends its season 18-14 after two consecutive postseason losses.