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No. 4 Auburn easily defeats Memphis (90-76) to win the Maui Invitational championship


No. 4 Auburn easily defeats Memphis (90-76) to win the Maui Invitational championship

Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter (11) flinches after an Auburn player's foot falls during a collision during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament Maui Invitational championship game on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. hit his face. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Tyrese Hunter and Memphis hit a wall during the Maui Invitational championship game against Auburn and couldn’t catch up, ultimately leading to a 90-76 loss. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

No. 4 Auburn dominated Memphis to win the championship game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday, taking a 47-31 halftime lead and ultimately winning 90-76.

Johni Broome posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the first half. He finished the game with 21 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and four blocks. Dylan Cardwell added 18 points by shooting 8 of 8 from the floor and dishing out six assists. Chad Baker-Mazara scored 14 points as Auburn improved to 7-0 in its season opener.

Memphis took an impressive path to the Maui finals, upsetting No. 2 UConn and defeating Michigan State, but ultimately ran into an Auburn Buzzsaw. The SEC Tigers took a 9-0 lead before Memphis cut the deficit to four points.

With a 15-11 lead, Auburn then went on a 10-2 run that was capped off by a 3-pointer from Chaney Johnson. Bruce Pearl’s team didn’t let up from then on and eventually took the lead 39:19, punctuated by threes from Broome and JP Pegues, followed by a dunk from Cardwell.

Auburn devoured Memphis on the offensive boards and grabbed 11 rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points. Broome also led the way with four offensive rebounds. Additionally, Auburn forced 11 turnovers, resulting in 14 points.

Penny Hardaway’s Tigers simply faced a hole too deep to climb out of, never getting closer than 15 points in the second half. With five minutes left after halftime, Memphis seemed to be out of energy against an Auburn team that seemed to be scoring from every position on the court.

PJ Haggerty led Memphis with 27 points and shot 11 of 20 from the floor, but was the team’s only consistent scoring threat in the game. Colby Rogers (who went 3-for-3 on 3s) and Dain Dainja each scored 15 points.

En route to the Maui Invitational championship, the first in school history, Auburn defeated No. 5 Iowa State (83-81) in a last-second thriller and then defeated No. 12 North Carolina (85-72) and advanced to the championship finals. The Tigers also picked up a 74-69 win over No. 6 Houston in their impressive start.

Next up for Auburn is a test against No. 11 Duke next Wednesday (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the SEC/ACC Challenge at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Memphis also hosts 7-0 Louisiana Tech on Wednesday.

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