The Huskies came back from double-digits to force overtime but ultimately suffered its first loss of the season.
No. 2 UConn men’s basketball suffered its first loss of the young season Monday, coming up short in overtime to Memphis, falling to the Tigers 99-97 in the opening game of the Maui Invitational.
The Huskies trailed by as much as 13 points late in the game, but clawed back to force overtime on a do-or-die 3-pointer from sophomore guard Solo Ball in hotly contested game that featured four technical fouls, three of which were committed by UConn.
It was not a clean first half by any means, but UConn eventually found its stride and momentum on the shoulders of its bench. The starting unit picked up six fouls in the game’s first five-and-a-half minutes, and it was not long before three of the Huskies’ five starters committed two fouls each, forcing head coach Dan Hurley to call upon his bench rotation early.
The move to the bench proved fruitful. With Memphis showing notable intensity early, the Huskies searched for an answer on the offensive end. They would find it in Tarris Reed Jr. and Jaylin Stewart, who combined for 31 of the Huskies’ 40 first-half points.
Stewart’s 14 first-half points were a career high after just five minutes of action, and the sophomore shot nearly 86 percent from the floor,including two threes on two attempts. Reed Jr., who subbed in for Samson Johnson, added 15 points of his own on 7-10 shooting and seven rebounds — five of which came on the offensive end.
Memphis spaced the floor well early, displaying an eagerness to drive to the hoop. Tiger ball handlers found success dashing to the paint and dishing to an open winger for a three or drawing a foul going up to the basket. They shared the ball equally, with four players recording at least nine points in the opening half. Only PJ Haggerty — the team’s leading scorer at 22.5 points per game prior to the matchup — had more (10).
On defense, Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway employed a myriad of different defensive techniques, even going as far as to change sets mid-possession. One minute the team might line up in a two-three zone before swapping to man-coverage. On the next play, the Tigers might have set up in a two-two-one full-court press. UConn and its complex offense struggled to find its rhythm finding and realizing open shots. After 20 minutes, the two teams sat deadlocked at 40 points each.
Offensive struggles and foul troubles followed the Huskies into the second half, who mustered just eight points in the first eight minutes. Hurley again sent his starting unit to the floor to begin the half, but quickly jumbled up the lineups to keep his hot hands on deck. Memphis however, kept the pressure on. The two teams battled back and forth until Tyrese Hunter made his presence known.
The senior guard went nuclear, putting up 17 points in the first 12 minutes of the half, bringing his game total to career-high-tying 26. His 8-13 shooting (7-10 from three) opened up the Tigers’ lead to 10 points with eight minutes to play.
UConn, desperate for stops and an offensive surge to bring them back into the game, lost its best option in Reed, who fouled out late with three minutes to play. Reed posted a double-double in 28 minutes on the floor, dropping in 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was one of just a few Huskies to have success breaching the stifling Memphis defense, and without him UConn stood little chance to make a comeback.
Yet, Hurley’s Huskies always find a way.
Frantic for someone to come up big, McNeeley answered the call. The freshman sat most of the first half in foul trouble, but nailed two massive threes inside two minutes to cut Memphis’ lead to just four.
All game, the UConn defense struggled to keep the Tigers off the free-throw stripe, and Haggerty took advantage of that in crunch time. The guard drew two fouls with less than a minute to play — hitting three of four free throws — to preserve Memphis’ lead at 82-77. On a loose scramble the following play, Haggerty fouled out, booting the Tigers’ leading scorer from the game. On the subsequent free throws, Diarra nailed both to bring the game back within one possession.
A forced turnover put the ball back in the hands of the Huskies. Down by three points, UConn would have a chance to tie the game with 13.3 seconds left and an opportunity to send the game to overtime. Ball inbounded to Hassan Diarra. The fifth-year guard drove right, then back left, navigating through Tiger defenders before steering right again. Dropping a pass back to a trailing Ball on the left wing, Ball rose up, let it fly and buried the game-tying triple with 0.9 seconds to play to make it 82-82 and force overtime.
Five minutes remained to decide the winner of the Maui Invitational quarterfinal. UConn held all the momentum heading into overtime, and yet, still came up short. The two teams traded blows down to the final minute, before an over-the-back foul on McNeeley sent Hurley into a frenzy. Referees assessed UConn a technical foul, and the four-point swing put the Tigers ahead 96-92.
A foul on Ball — his fifth — sustained a four-point Memphis lead, before Diarra brought it back within two with 8.5 seconds to play. UConn continued to play the foul game, putting Tiger’s guard Colby Rogers at the line to ice it. He made the first, but missed the second, giving the Huskies one last possession.
Diarra brought the ball up court but was quickly fouled. He made the first free throw and opted to miss the second intentionally to regain possession. The plan worked, and a scrambling Diarra picked up a loose ball, quickly turned to the hoop and hucked an errant three-point attempt that missed badly. The final buzzer sounded and Memphis walked away with the win 99-97.
Memphis’ dominant backcourt of Hunter and Haggerty combined for 48 points in the win. Reed led the Huskies with 22 points and added 11 rebounds, while Stewart (16 points), Karaban (19), Diarra (12), McNeeley and Ball (10 each) all reached double figures.
With the loss, UConn slips into the loser’s bracket. They will next play the loser of the Michigan State versus Colorado. Whoever the opponent, the Huskies second game of the early-season tournament is scheduled for Tuesday at 3:30 pm ET.