Ron Harper Jr. rose up from deep and his shot clanked the left side of the rim.
Houston 63, Rutgers 60.
That’s how the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament ended for the 10th-seeded Scarlet Knights, which gave up a 14-2 to the second-seeded Cougars to end the game over the last 4:33.
"The guys gave everything to our program this year and more," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "The sacrifices and what they had to do, I'm sad for us. I never wanted to the put uniforms away. This group is awesome. Whenever we got knocked down, we got back up. I told them how appreciated they are and our staff. I thanked them. I love this group."
Rutgers didn’t score over the final 2:04 and went cold late, making just one of its last eight shots, including many at the rim.
"There's a lot of emotion. We've been through a lot this year from insolating, to wins and losses, to being here in March. For a lot of us, it's been two years," senior captain Geo Baker said. "Everyone just said we love each other and proud of each other. We could have opted out, but we stuck with it. A lot of emotion."
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The Scarlet Knights slowed down the pace significantly over the final four minutes. They led by as many as 10 points with 8:45 to go.
Rutgers didn’t shoot a foul shot in the second half after going 9-for-12 in the first half.
"I won't forget or get over today," Baker said, "but there's better days ahead and you have to understand that."
Down 61-60, Baker let the ball slip out of his hands on a play that usually ends with a made step-back jumper.
"It's a play I've done a million times," Baker said. "They hedged it which I didn't expect, and I think that was the first time I lost it on that play."
Rutgers led 30-27 at the half, but the Cougars started the second half on a 4-0 run by Dejon Jarreau, who was in discomfort the entire game due to a hip pointer. But Rutgers responded with a 13-4 to go back ahead 43-35. Paul Mulcahy and Geo Baker, and Jacob Young each hit 3-pointers during the stretch, and Young knocked-down a crossover jump shot.
Harper Jr. converted a three as well for the left side to give Rutgers its biggest lead at 50-40.
Fabian White Jr. scored Houston’s next seven points to keep his team in the game.
The two teams would trade a few buckets, and after a Myles Johnson layup inside, Houston went on a 7-0 run to cut it to 58-56. Baker, though, used a hesitation to get to the hoop for a layup himself to make it 60-56. Jarreau went 1-for-2 from the foul line to make it a 60-57 contest.
Houston started the game hot, making 7-of-12 field goals, but was just 4-for-14 after that to end the first half as the defense stepped up for the Scarlet Knights. They also had three blocks and three steals in the first half as it stymied the Cougars on offense with some full court pressure. They also switched off their man and alternated their defense planning a little zone at times.
Rutgers was the opposite, missing its first six shots, but converted its next 9-of-16 shots as it headed into the break with a 30-27 lead. It was also 9-of-12 from the foul line in the opening 20 minutes, got out in transition with six points.
An 13-4 run capped by a Caleb McConnell fastbreak layup gave Rutgers its first lead at 20-18. He started the surge as well with two free throws.
Off the bench, Montez Mathis scored 10 points before halftime, going 3-for-4 from the floor, 2-for-2 on 3-pointers, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. He didn’t score after the break.
Baker finished with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting with four assists. He had a costly turnover late that turned into a second-chance layup and-one. Jacob Young, playing against his father’s alma mater, scored nine points, but was just 4-of-12 from the field. Johnson, MCConnell, and Harper Jr. each scored six points while Paul Mulcahy had five and Cliff Omoruyi had four.
Quentin Grimes netted a game-high 22 points while Jarreau finished with 17.
Houston out-rebounded Rutgers 39-29, including 16-8 on the offensive end. Rutgers, though, outscored Houston in the paint, 26-18, and converted 12 Cougar turnovers into 21 points and shot 44% (22-of-50) overall, 44% on 3-pointers (7-of-16).
Former Rutgers assistant coach, radio voice Joe Boylan passed away earlier in the day on Sunday.
"Coach Boylan was my biggest supporter since I first stepped foot on campus," Baker said. "Just always talking and always calming me. He asks me about how my family is, how my mom is, how I'm doing, just so much more than just basketball. So to hear that too, it only added to the emotion in the locker room. This was just a really tough day overall."
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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