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Johni Broome scores 21 points as No. 4 Auburn wins the Maui Invitational


Johni Broome scores 21 points as No. 4 Auburn wins the Maui Invitational

LAHAINA, Hawaii – Johni Broome scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead No. 4 Auburn to the Maui Invitational championship with a 90-76 victory over Memphis on Wednesday.

Auburn (7-0) opened the game with a 9-0 run, fueled by Broome’s three-pointer from the right wing after just 22 seconds.

Broome had 15 points and 11 rebounds at halftime and completed 8 of 15 shots from the field with six assists and four blocks.

Dylan Cardwell shot 8 of 8 from the field and finished with 18 points. Chad Baker-Mazara added 14 points and Denver Jones contributed 11 points for Auburn.

PJ Haggerty led Memphis (6-1) with 27 points on 11 of 20 shooting and Dain Dainja added 15 points.

Auburn, which led 47-31 at halftime, took a 22-point lead with four minutes to play.

Takeaways

Memphis: Senior guard Tyrese Hunter, a first-team All-AAC preseason selection, scored 23 points in Tuesday’s semifinal win over Michigan State. But he was held to 11 points on Wednesday. Hunter didn’t score his first points against Auburn until 16:32 into the second half.

Auburn: In the tournament’s 40-year history, only two SEC teams had won the Maui Invitational. Auburn is a tournament champion alongside Vanderbilt (1986) and Kentucky (1993).

Key moment

Auburn converted 3-pointers from Broome and JP Pegues on consecutive possessions, both set up by offensive rebounds from Cardwell. After Broome hit a three-pointer from the right wing, Auburn forced a turnover before Pegues hit his three-pointer from the left wing, giving the Tigers a 39-19 lead with 4:33 remaining in the first half.

Key statistics

Auburn had 23 assists and committed just nine turnovers.

Next

Both teams return to the court on Wednesday when Memphis hosts Louisiana Tech and No. 1 Auburn. 11 Duke visited.

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