LAHAINA, Haw. – (EETV) After back to back wins over No. 5 Iowa State and No. 12 North Carolina on Monday and Tuesday, Auburn surfed their way home in the Maui Invitational with a win over Memphis. This marks the first for the program as they fly back to Auburn, trophy in hand. The battle of the two Tigers was dominated by Auburn from start to finish, as they never trailed in the 90-76 win.
Senior Johni Broome hit from behind the arc to get the Auburn offense out and running as they sprinted out on a 9-0 run to take the early advantage. The Tigers looked electric and energized, even after two hard fought wins in back-to-back days over ranked opponents. Broome dominated the first half for the Tigers, scoring 15 points and nabbing 11 boards in his second straight game with a first half double-double.
Auburn’s defense kept Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter, who was averaging 24.5 points per game in Maui, scoreless in the first half. Seniors Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara did wonders keeping him in check with their physicality and length on the defensive end. Tulsa transfer, PJ Haggerty, represented Memphis’ main offensive weapon in the first, trying to keep the game from becoming a full on blowout in the first, scoring 15. Still, Auburn charged into the break with a 47-31 lead.
Jumbotron man, Dylan Cardwell, started off the second half for Auburn, slamming it home off a nifty pass from Baker-Mazara. He then knocked down his first triple of the year to beat the shot clock. Those were just five of Cardwell’s team-leading 10 points in the second half as he dominated the paint for the Tigers. Memphis continued to try their best to claw back into the game, with three players scoring in double figures in the second half for their Tigers. However, with every basket, Auburn had an answer. They sliced and diced through the Memphis defense with high-powered and smart offense, not allowing the game to get close to back to even.
All these factors led to smooth sailing for the Tigers as they coasted to their first Maui Invitational win and the third in SEC history. Johni Broome led the way for Auburn with an outstanding 21 points, 16 boards, six assists, and even four blocks. Broome also earned the tournament MVP, averaging 21.7 points, 15 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and three blocks in the three games in Lahaina. Dylan Cardwell added a career high 18 points and six assists himself. Chad Baker-Mazara capped off an impressive trip to Maui with 14 points, three boards, and five assists. Denver Jones knocked down a triple and had 11 as well.
Memphis was led by 27 from PJ Haggerty. Colby Rogers had 15 points for Memphis along with Dain Dainja who also had 15. The Auburn defense held Tyrese Hunter to only 11 points, all of which came in the second half for the upperclassman point guard.
Auburn continued to look like the best team in the nation in a week where many ranked teams took untimely losses to unranked opponents. The Tigers earned every bit of it all week as their competitive spirit allowed them to dominate the beaches of Maui for three straight games.
After they take what will be hopefully a high-spirits flight back to Auburn, Auburn has another tough matchup to look ahead to next Wednesday, December 4th. The Tigers travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC for a matchup with the number one player in the class of 2024, Cooper Flagg, and his Duke Blue Devils. The game will take place at 8:15 p.m. CST and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
