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Tyrese Hunter, Memphis hang on late in overtime to stun No. 2 UConn in opening game at Maui Invitational

By Ryan Young, Yahoo Sports
Maui Invitational - Memphis v UCONN LAHAINA, HAWAII - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Penny Hardaway of the Memphis Tigers directs his team during the first half of the Maui Invitational against the Connecticut Huskies at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 25, 2024 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) (Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
By Ryan Young, Yahoo Sports

Though it looked like their upset bid was going to come up short after some heroics from Solo Ball at the end of regulation, Tyrese Hunter and Memphis picked up a huge win to kick off the Maui Invitational on Monday morning.

The Tigers, despite allowing an 18-5 run at the end of regulation, held on to beat No. 2 UConn 99-97 in the first game of the iconic Feast Week tournament at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui. That pushed them to a perfect 5-0 on the season and handed the two-time defending national champions their first loss of the season.

Memphis looked like it was going to be able to pull off the win in regulation after jumping up by 13 points late in the second half. But the Huskies finally bounced back and mounted a huge 18-5 run that Ball capped with a perfect 3-pointer ahead of the buzzer. That sent the game into overtime.

UConn got the jump in the extra period, too, but the Tigers didn’t go away. Memphis tied the game up with about a minute left after a 3-pointer from Colby Rogers. Tigers guard P.J. Carter hit four free throws a few seconds later, too, after Liam McNeely was called for an over-the-back foul that drew a technical foul from Huskies coach Dan Hurley. In total, it was a seven-point swing for the Tigers that suddenly put them up by four.

Carter had all nine of his points in overtime after he hit an early 3-pointer and then added two more free throws, which eventually gave the Tigers enough to push ahead to the two-point win. UConn had one final look to win the game at the buzzer, but it didn’t fall. Hurley's technical foul completely switched the momentum in overtime and allowed the Tigers to grab the win.

The Tigers will now take on either Colorado or Michigan State in the semifinals on Tuesday. The Huskies were the favorite coming into the tournament, but No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 12 North Carolina are all on the other side of the bracket.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.

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