Notre Dame Needs Double OT to Beat Rutgers in First Four Instant Classic

Paul Atkinson Jr.’s putback layup with 1.4 seconds left in the second overtime gave Notre Dame an 89-87 win over Rutgers in a wild First Four game Wednesday night.

Ron Harper Jr. tied it with a long three-pointer with 22 seconds left in the second OT. Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley then missed a shot before Atkinson grabbed the rebound and put back the winner.

Atkinson finished with 20 points, Nate Laszewski 18 and Cormac Ryan 16 to lead the Irish (23–10), who as the No. 11 seed advance to face sixth-seeded Alabama in a a first-round game Friday in San Diego.

Caleb McConnell had career-high 23 points and Ron Harper Jr. 22 for the Scarlet Knights (18–11).

Both teams shot a respectable 51% for the game.

McConnell scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor as Rutgers built a 41–36 lead at the half. He put the finishing touches on the scoring before intermission, going the length of the court and putting up a fast-break layup at the buzzer.

Rutgers went up by eight to open the second half on Harper’s 3-pointer, but Notre Dame chipped away. The Irish got up by as many as five late before the game got tight again.

Geo Baker’s three-pointer tied it at 69 for Rutgers with 1:24 left. Rutgers got the ball back, but Harper and Baker both missed shots that would have given the Scarlet Knights the win in regulation.