Memphis’ guard tandem of Tyrese Hunter and PJ Haggerty combined for 39 points and Memphis beat Michigan State 71-63 on Tuesday to advance to the title game of the Maui Invitational.
The Tigers (6-0) will face the winner of Tuesday’s latest game between No. 4 Auburn and No. 12 North Carolina.
Hunter scored 23 points, shooting 5-of-10 on 3-point attempts. He had seven 3-pointers in the Tigers’ 99-97 overtime win at No. 2 Conn on Monday. Haggerty added 16 points with nine rebounds. The two guards combined for 48 points against UConn.
Colby Rogers added 10 points for Memphis, who shot 47 percent.
Jase Richardson scored 18 points with a trio of 3-pointers to lead the Spartans (5-2). Jaden Akins added 12 and Frankie Fidler 10. Michigan State entered the Division I worst at 20% from 3-point range but shot 35%, as did Memphis, from the arc . The Spartans gave up 22 points on 13 turnovers and shot 42%.
Michigan State cut a 15-to-seven deficit with five minutes left, but Hunter came away with a four-point play. The Spartans got as close as five on Jeremy Fears Jr.’s free throws. with 45 seconds left but scored again.
The game was tied early in the second half before Memphis started to come out. Haggerty and Rogers hit 3-pointers and Moussa Cisse added a three-point play with an offensive rebound and layup to make it a 15-point lead with 11 minutes left.
A pair of Hunter 3-pointers sandwiched around a Cisse dunk midway through the first half gave the Tigers a commanding lead the rest of the half. The Spartans finished the final three minutes on an 8-2 run with Richardson’s 3 at the end of the half getting the Spartans within three.
It is reported by the Associated Press.
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