DAYTON, Ohio – Playing in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, Rutgers men's basketball saw its season end in the NCAA Tournament with an 89-87 double-overtime loss against No. 11 seed Notre Dame on Wednesday night at UD Arena.  It was an unbelievable effort for RU, led by 23 points from Caleb McConnell, who added a team-high 11 rebounds for a double-double. Ron Harper Jr. added 22 points and Geo Baker had 19, while Clifford Omoruyi had 15. Rutgers shot 50.7% from the field on the day and shot 41% from three-point distance.

The Scarlet Knights played in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for just the second time in program history, doing so after marking a program record with 12 Big Ten Conference wins and its third consecutive winning season overall (just the second such streak since 1988-89 to 1990-91).

First Half 

Rutgers got off to a good start at the offensive end, opening 7-of-11 from the field. Caleb McConnell, playing near his hometown in Ohio, scored a quick 14 points in the first 13 minutes of the half to spark the Scarlet Knights. Notre Dame kept pace with McConnell's scoring by shooting 65 percent as a team in that span, for a one-possession game with seven minutes to play.

However, Ron Harper Jr. answered with a key three-pointer, setting up an 11-2 run for a 36-30 lead and forcing a RU timeout. To counter a brief Irish spurt, Rutgers had a highlight-reel play to beat the buzzer. After a rebound with just under five seconds left, Paul Mulcahy sent a full-court pass to McConnell for a diving layup to beat the buzzer.

McConnell set a new a season-high in scoring in the opening half alone, posting 18 points in the first frame to lead RU to a 41-36 lead at the break. Ron Harper Jr. also reached double-digits in the opening half for the Scarlet Knights with 11 points, as RU shot 58.1 percent from the field in the first half.

Second Half 

Rutgers had a five-point lead coming out of intermission and opened the scoring in the second half with a Ron Harper Jr. three-pointer to take their largest lead of the day. ND came back with six straight points to cut the lead to two, then hit two three-pointers to keep the game within one possession. As Rutgers hit a five-minute field goal drought, the game was tied at 53-53, coming down to the final 10 minutes.

A 12-5 run for the Fighting Irish gave the squad their largest lead of the night at 63-58. Geo Baker hit a clutch three-pointer, tying the game at 67-67 with 2:36 to play, setting up a dramatic finish.

Baker would score nine straight Rutgers points, with a jumper to tie the game again at 69. That would be the final scoring in regulation, as RU's final short was just short, and the game headed to overtime.

Overtime

In overtime, a fadeaway jumper from Baker gave RU a 73-70 lead. Notre Dame came back with the next five points to take a two-point lead. Then Ron Harper Jr. banked home a three-pointer at the end of the shot clock, giving RU a one-point lead in the waning seconds. Notre Dame converted a steal for the go-ahead basket with just 25 seconds left, but then Paul Mulcahy hit a dagger three-pointer with eight seconds left to give RU another two-point lead. The Irish converted a layup with two seconds remaining, and a Harper Jr. halfcourt shot wouldn't go, sending the game to a second overtime.

Second Overtime

After an early dunk from Omoruyi, a three-pointer from McConnell gave RU a one-point lead. Notre Dame took an 87-84 lead on a pair of free throws with 40.9 seconds to play. Harper Jr. made a long-range three-pointer with 22 seconds left, but Notre Dame made a layup in the final seconds to clinch the win.

Postgame Notes

Team

• 13 of the team's past 16 games have been decided by single digits.
• Rutgers played in the fourth overtime game in First Four history and first NCAA Tournament game since 2016 to go multiple overtimes.
• It was RU's first loss this season with Ron Harper Jr. scoring 20+ points.
• Rutgers falls to 6-9 all-time in NCAA Tournaments.
• Every Rutgers starter played a career-high in minutes.
• The game featured 17 lead changes.

Individuals

Caleb McConnell

• Had a double-double, his second career double-double in the NCAA tournament after also doing so in RU's NCAA Tournament win over Clemson last season.
• It was his second double-double of the season and fourth of his career.
• Shot 10-of-12 from the field (83.3%), tied for the sixth best mark in a single-game in program history.
• It was the best field goal percentage by a RU player in an NCAA Tournament game.
• It was his second time in three career NCAA Tournament games shooting 80% or better from the field.
• Reached double-digit points for the seventh time this season.
• It was McConnell's third career game of 20+ points.
• Reached double-digit points in an NCAA Tournament game for the second time in three career NCAA games played.

Clifford Omoruyi

• Reached double-figure scoring for the 23^rd time this season.
• Had six dunks, extending his lead in the nation to 94.

Geo Baker

• Had five assists, reaching 496 for his career, passing Brian Ellerbe for second all-time at RU.
• Had double-digit points for the 89^th time in his 145^th career game.
• Has scored in double-digits in all three career NCAA Tournament games.

Ron Harper Jr.

• With 22 points, reached 1,525 points for his career, tying Roy Hinson for 12th all-time at RU.
• Had double-digit points for the 27^th time this season.

Paul Mulcahy

• Posted 5 assists, tying Rodney Duncan for 3^rd most in a season in RU history

Postgame Quotes

"I love my team. We had a special season. A historic group. These guys turned the program around. In my years of coaching, just a special group. Today, they fought. That's what they made of. Tip of the hat to Notre Dame, they were one possession better. 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. Just a tough end, tough night. I appreciate our guys, what they've given to our program. It's not easy, all season, backs against the wall, and they've done nothing but respond. These guys have built a terrific culture here."

Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell

"We've been through some real battles. There's a lot of pain right now. Caleb said it best in the locker room, just cherish the moment. Cherish college basketball. We have a special brotherhood, that's never going to change. A lot of emotions after that game."

Rutgers senior Geo Baker

"It was a great game. We came just a little bit short. 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, just tough to come up on the wrong end of it."

Rutgers senior Ron Harper Jr. 

"It was an emotional game, coming back home and playing in front of friends and family. It was about our team. We're upset to come out on the wrong end of it, it's just sad to end it this way after all we built here. The brotherhood we built here, the friendships we built here, those will last forever. I'm just glad I was able to do it with these guys, this team is amazing." 

Rutgers senior Caleb McConnell

"I wanted to be that kid that started a trend, be from Jersey, go to Rutgers, go to the NCAA Tournament. I found a group of guys here at Rutgers that believed in me, trusted me. They made me into the player I am today. It's an unbreakable brotherhood with these guys. I'm proud of the culture that we built. These last four years are something that I'll remember and cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you to our fans, they made Jersey Mike's Arena one of the hardest places to play in. They've been all in on Rutgers basketball. We put our heart and soul on the line today and I hope we made them proud. None of this is ever possible without them."

Rutgers senior Ron Harper Jr.

"That was an incredible college basketball game against a team that is really tough and good and fearless. I stopped to tell a couple of their players at the end, they have a heck of a team. They are fearless. Man, do they have some good guards."

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey