MAUI, Hawaii — National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome and No. 3 Auburn captured the Maui Invitational championship with a 90-76 win over Memphis on Wednesday at Lahaina Civic Center.
Broome and frontcourt running mate Dylan Cardwell dominated Penny Hardaway’s Tigers (6-1). Broome had 21 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, while Cardwell put up 18 points and had three rebounds and six assists.
The blowout was reminiscent of the Battle 4 Atlantis last season, where Memphis beat Michigan and Arkansas before losing to Villanova by 16. The Tigers upset No. 2 UConn on Monday, then took down Michigan State on Tuesday.
But Memphis ran into a buzz saw in Broome and Auburn. The closest Memphis got to the lead in the second half was 13 points (with 12:17 left in the game).
Auburn (7-0) has victories over four top-30 teams in the KenPom rankings, including Houston, Iowa State and North Carolina. Auburn is ranked No. 1 by KenPom.
Memphis star PJ Haggerty finished the tournament with a standout individual performance, putting up 27 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Tyrese Hunter was one of the best players in the tournament after the first two days, averaging 24.5 points and shooting 60% from the 3-point line. But Auburn neutralized Hunter, holding him scoreless in the first half. He scored 11 in the second half. Colby Rogers and Dain Dainja also got into double-digits with 15 points each.
Memphis returns to action against Louisiana Tech on Dec. 4 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+) at FedExForum.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
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