LAHAINA, Hawaii – The University of Memphis men’s basketball team opened the Maui Invitational with a bang, defeating back-to-back national champion, No. 2 UConn, 99-97, in overtime in the opening round at the Lahaina Civic Center on Monday afternoon.

The win over the second-seeded Huskies (4-1) was the highest win for Memphis (5-0) since defeating No. 1 Houston in the AAC Championship on March 12, 2023.

The Tigers shot 55 percent for the game, led by senior guard Tyrese Hunter who had a monster day, hitting seven of 10 three-point attempts on his way to a season-high 26 points.

Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty scored 22 points himself, added five assists and three rebounds before fouling out. Redshirt senior guard Colby Rogers scored 19 points on 5-for-9 shooting as a redshirt senior forward Dain Dainja scored an efficient 14 points on 7-for-10 from the field.

With the score tied 92-92 late in overtime, a loose ball foul with 40 seconds left, followed by a technical foul on UConn, led to four straight free throws from PJ Carter to give the Tigers a 96-92 lead.

Carter then hit two more free throws with 13 seconds left, putting the Tigers back up to four and finishing the game with nine points. Both teams traded fouls and free throws in the final seconds before Memphis finally gained the upper hand.

The Tigers endured seven lead changes and led for more than 28 minutes in the victory.


Memphis was firing on all cylinders, going 5-of-7 from the field to go on an 8-2 run capped by a three-pointer from Hunter in the far corner, giving the Tigers a 16-10 lead over the opponent. Huskies. Both teams traded baskets throughout the first half before UConn regained the lead with 6:31 remaining in the half on three consecutive buckets.


Hot shots from Hunter, Haggerty and Nicholas Jourdain kept the Tigers in the fight as Dainja was in the bucket in the last second to level the match at 40 heading into the break.


The Tigers went toe-to-toe to open the second frame, starting hot with another 3-pointer from Hunter in front of the Memphis bench. Haggerty, Dainja and Moussa Cisse added points on trips down the floor to cut the Tiger lead to five.


Memphis took as much as a 13 lead late in the second half, but the Huskies’ sharp shooting brought them back into the game.


In the final seconds of regulation, UConn got two free throws from Hassan Diarra and a three-pointer from the wing from Solo Ball to send the game into an 82-overtime tie.


Free throws were the name of the game in OT, with Memphis sinking seven from the charity stripe while getting threes from Carter and Rogers. After a missed Huskies free throw with two seconds left, the Tigers locked down the defense to secure the 99-97 victory.
Memphis will play the winner of Colorado/Michigan State tomorrow, Tuesday, November 26 at 5:00 PM CT. Coverage of the game can be found on ESPN and 98.9 The Roar.



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