In the end, the tournament hinged on the spin of the ball. Up a single point with 46 seconds remaining, Denny Notre Dame flung the ball around the court seeking the kill and eventually Lenny McMillan fired a three-pointer which clanged off the rim and back into the shooter's hands. From there, Notre Dame played keep-ball and exhausted the clock, breaking Blue Demons' hearts and becoming the first team to take the Cup three times on the trot.

It was a tough way for the revitalised Cork club to go down and particularly harsh for their languid American star Dion Wingfield, who finished with 34 points after a virtuoso performance in terms of shooting and hard grafting under the offensive boards.

Notre Dame did the damage during the pivotal third quarter. Trailing 34-40 at half-time, they began to assert themselves after Eamonn Gallagher hit a baseline jump shot and Anthony Jenkins stepped up to drill a three pointer.

Gallagher converted a whipped pass from Damien Sealy and then McMillan tied it up at 47 apiece before Duvall Simmons, Demons' other American, was whistled for his fourth foul.

His withdrawal was followed by a late Notre Dame rush: Jenkins cut through to a reverse lay-up off the glass, McMillan stole a loose pass and dished to Calvin Morris who finished and Sealy hit another two to leave Denny 55-49 to the good.

Francisco de Benito did a manage a lay-up for Demons but they entered the final quarter a tired side and the last 10 minutes were tentative and error-filled in comparison to the previous fare.

But the excitement didn't wane. With under seven minutes remaining, de Benito, disappointing in open play, iced three free throws to haul Demons within two.

Jenkins, typically, nonchalantly nailed a three-pointer on Notre Dame's next offence and also hit a bonus shot after he was fouled.

Down five with four minutes to go, Demons rallied: Simmonds threw an alley hoop which Wingfield converted. Notre Dame's next attack yielded nothing and Wingfield hit yet another basket off a rebound. Again Jenkins showed the icy touch, popping another shot, leaving the score at 62-59.

Crucially, Demon's got nothing from their next two attacks and although Shane Coughlan left them trailing by just one (62-61) after he laid in a great steal, the Cork side were back-pedalling.

Still, they might least have expected another shot, but McMillan's razor-like reactions put paid to that.

It is likely that the drama of their efforts against Star of the Sea on Saturday night left the Cork club a little tired yesterday evening.