UConn loses to Memphis in OT as rally falls short

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Tyrese Hunter scored 17 of his 26 points after halftime to lead Memphis to a 99-97 overtime win against two-time defending national champion and second-ranked UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational.

Hunter shot 7 of 10 from 3-point range for the Tigers (5-0), who were 12 of 22 from beyond at the arc as a team. PJ Haggerty had 22 points and five assists, Colby Rogers had 19 points and Dain Dainja scored 14.

Tarris Reed Jr. had 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Huskies (4-1). Alex Karaban had 19 points and six assists, and Jaylin Stewart scored 16.

Memphis led by as many as 13 with about four minutes left in regulation, but UConn chipped away and eventually tied it on Solo Ball‘s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining.

Takeaways

Memphis: The Tigers ranked second nationally in field goal percentage going into the game and shot it at a 54.7% clip.

UConn: The Huskies saw their string of 17 consecutive wins dating back to February come to an end.

Key moment: The teams were tied at 92 with less than a minute remaining in overtime when UConn coach Dan Hurley was assessed a technical foul for his displeasure with an over-the-back call against Liam McNeeley. PJ Carter hit four straight free throws — two for the tech and the other pair for the personal foul — to give Memphis a 96-92 lead with 40.3 seconds to play.

Key stat: UConn had three players foul out. Memphis attempted 40 free throws and made 29 of them.

Up next: Memphis will play the winner of Colorado–Michigan State on Tuesday in the second round of the invitational. UConn will play the loser of that game in the consolation bracket.