Loyola Loses To Michigan: 'We Took The Nation On A Ride'

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Loyola's improbable run through the NCAA men's basketball tournament finally came to an end Saturday in San Antonio. The No. 11 Rambers fell to No. 3 Michigan, 69-57, and came up short in their bid to become the first double-digit seed to advance to the tournament's title game.

The game was dominated by suffocating defense and shots that wouldn't fall on both sides. But Michigan forward Moritz Wagner kept the Wolverines in the game with an outstanding 24-point performance, and Michigan was able to withstand Loyola's scrappy play in the first half — especially by freshman center Cameron Krutwig, who scored a team high 17 points — to pull away late in the second half.

"In a couple of months, the memories of all this are gonna outweigh the pain we’re feeling now," Krutwig told reporters after the game . "We took the nation on a ride.'

RELATED: Sister Jean Backlash? Loyola's No. 1 Fan Slammed For Early Exit

Hundreds of students and Ramblers supporters filled the Joseph J. Gentile Arena on Loyola's Rogers Park campus. The game might not have ended the way they had hoped, but it didn't dampen their enthusiasm.

Even in defeat, fans — both the loyal die-hards and the bandwagon-jumpers — celebrated the amazing effort by the Ramblers, who almost pulled off an Easter miracle Saturday.

More Loyola Coverage on Patch:

• Senior Smack Talk: Jalen Rose's Granny Calls Out Sister Jean
• Loyola Routs Kansas State: Ramblers Get Ramblin' To Final Four
• When Sister Jean Met Mariah: Watch The Sweet 16 Sweethearts Chat
• Loyola Beats Nevada: Ramblers Soar Into Elite Eight
• Loyola's Bus Gets Lost Going To Arena? That's March Madness
• From a YMCA Kid to the Sweet Sixteen
• Loyola's Sister Jean Gets Push To Go On 'Ellen DeGeneres Show'
• Loyola Ends Long NCAA Tournament Drought

This year's squad also received high-profile kudos from some of Chicago's professional sports teams. San Antionio Spurs guard Tony Parker — whose dad attended Loyola — was seen at Saturday's game, decked out in Ramblers gear.

As this year's Cinderella team, Loyola has now become a mid-major school to watch in the future, like Gonzaga in the late 1990s. More importantly, the Ramblers' time in the national spotlight has made a celebrity of its team chaplain and unofficial advance scout, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt.

And how rampant has Sister Jean-mania become? Following the loss, people were quick to post a Crying Michael Jordan-Sister Jean mashup meme online. You know you've really made it into the public consciousness when you get the Crying Jordan treatment.

WATCH: First-half highlights of the NCAA Final Four game between No. 11 Loyola and No. 3 Michigan:

Michigan now plays No. 1 Villanova for the NCAA title. The game will be at 7:20 p.m. Monday, April 2, in San Antonio, and will air on TBS. The Michigan TeamCast will be on TNT, and the Villanova TeamCast will be on TruTV.

Loyola's Clayton Custer (right) consoles teammate and childhood friend, Ben Richardson, following the the Not. 11 Ramblers' loss to No. 3 Michigan in the Final Four on Saturday, March 31, in San Antonio. (Photo by Tom Pennington | Getty Images Sport| Getty Images)

Michigan forward Moritz Wagner celebrates in fron to Loyola center Cameron Krutwig during the Final Four game against Loyola on Saturday, March 31, in San Antonio. (Associted Press Photo by David J. Phillip)