LAHAINA, Hawaii – The University of Memphis men's basketball team closed out the Maui Invitational by falling to No. 4 Auburn, 90-76 in the championship game inside Lahaina Civic Center Wednesday afternoon.
The Tigers shot 50 percent for the game and nearly 67 percent from long range - led by redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty who scored a game-high 27 points and team-best nine boards.
Redshirt senior Dain Dainja chipped in 15 points, five rebounds, and a steal coming off the bench while Colby Rogers contributed 15 points, going perfect from long range (3-3) and at the charity stripe (4-4). Tyrese Hunter was the final Tiger to reach double figures, scoring all 11 of his points in the second half of play.
It was all Auburn from the jump, taking a 9-0 lead just two minutes into the game. While Memphis made a comeback to get with four after a lay-up and two free throws from Haggerty, the Tigers from Alabama pulled together a 14-2 run to go up by 20 with 4:29 remaining in the half.
Haggerty and Rogers found the bottom of the basket in the final three minutes of the half to cut Memphis’ deficit to 47-31 heading into the break.
Back-and-forth scoring plagued Memphis from making a run in the second half.
After Auburn got up by as much as 22, the Boys from the Bluff City got hot and strung together a 9-2 run with baskets from Haggerty, Hunter and Dainja to make it an 88-74 Auburn lead with less than a minute left.
PJ Carter added in two free throws in the final seconds of the game for the 90-76 final.
For today’s game, Memphis was the first non-P4 team to play in the Maui Invitational championship game since Dayton in 2019.
The Tigers are off for the holiday break and will be back in FedExForum on Wednesday, Dec. 4 against Louisiana Tech. Full coverage on 92.9 FM ESPN, Memphis' Sports Station.