SAN DIEGO — It wasn't the ending Alabama basketball fans wanted, but it was an end to the season nonetheless.
After losing its final two games of the regular season, followed by its first game at the SEC Tournament last weekend, the 6-seed Crimson Tide was ousted from the NCAA Tournament in unceremonious fashion on Friday afternoon at Viejas Arena, falling at the hands of 11-seed Notre Dame by a score of 78-64.
An early injury that forced guard Jahvon Quinerly to exit the game early coupled with foul trouble for Charles Bediako rendered the Crimson Tide ineffective on both ends of the court for the majority of the game, sending Alabama into a tailspin that it could never get out of.
Alabama finished the game with four shooters in double-digits, led by Keon Ellis with 16. Jaden Shackelford recorded 13 points, followed by JD Davison with 11 and Juwan Gary with 10. Davison was one assist shy of a double-double with nine, leading the team in the category. Ellis finished with the team-lead in rebounds, also with nine.
Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan was a huge impact on the game for the Fighting Irish, scoring 29 points and shooting 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. 18 points from Blake Wesley, 13 points from Paul Atkinson Jr. and 10 from Nate Laszewski were also big contributions.
With the loss, Alabama's season comes to a close with a 19-14 overall record. Notre Dame will now move on to face 3-seed Texas Tech on Sunday.
Check out the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral's own Joey Blackwell and Katie Windham break down the Crimson Tide's season-ending loss to the Fighting Irish from Viejas Arena in San Diego.
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