RECAP: No. 16 Memphis advances to AAC Tournament championship with win over Tulane

FORT WORTH, Texas — Memphis basketball is headed to the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament title game for the third time in four seasons.

The No. 16 Tigers (28-5, 16-2 AAC) knocked off Tulane 78-77 in Saturday’s semifinals at Dickies Arena. This is Memphis’ second win in two meetings with the Green Wave this year. Penny Hardaway’s club next faces either North Texas or UAB in Sunday’s final (2:15 p.m., ESPN).

Memphis shot 38% overall and an abysmal 22% (5-of-23) from the 3-point line. The Tigers also made just 60% of their free-throw attempts. Without PJ Haggerty’s 14 makes at the charity stripe, that figure drops to 37% (9-of-24). Memphis outrebounded Tulane 47-34 while recording 22 offensive boards, 19 fastbreak points, 16 assists, 12 forced turnovers, 9 steals and 5 blocks.

Ron Hunter’s team (19-14, 12-6 AAC) shot 45% from the field and 31% on 3-pointers. It also scored 20 points off 13 forced turnovers while compiling 16 assists, 9 steals and 4 blocks. Rowan Brumbaugh (22), Kam Williams (16), Asher Woods (15), Gregg Glenn III (12) and Mari Jordan (10) scored double-digit points for the Green Wave.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ seventh win in a row.

Dain Dainja feasts on Tulane again

The 6-foot-9 center garnered a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in New Orleans on Jan. 30, and Tulane had no answers for him once again.

Dainja scored Memphis’ first 4 points in just over 70 seconds. He then took away Jordan’s pass at the 11:54 mark in the first half, and punched in a one-handed fastbreak slam four seconds later. Moussa Cisse’s steal led to another monster jam for Dainja a little over two minutes later, giving the latter 8 points in the game’s first 11 minutes.

The redshirt senior finished the period with 13 points (6-of-10 shooting), 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers aided him with 7 points respectively before halftime, though all Tigers besides Dainja shot a combined 39% in that span.

Dainja ultimately notched his seventh double-double this season with 23 points, 11 rebounds and a block.

Tyrese Hunter exits with apparent foot injury

Hunter, who missed Memphis’ Feb. 9 home game against Temple with a nagging right knee injury, exited the game and went to the locker room early in the second half Saturday. He subbed out at the 15:35 mark in the final period.

The 6-foot guard “dinged his foot” in the midway through the contest, per a Memphis spokesperson. He was originally declared questionable to return, but never did after later reappearing on the bench with a walking boot on his left foot.

Tigers withstand second-half push

Tulane erased Memphis’ 39-32 halftime lead with a 7-0 run in the first minute and 44 seconds of the second half. Kaleb Bank’s jumper then gave the Green Wave a 46-45 advantage at the 15:43 mark, which was the first of 8 lead changes in the period.

Memphis pulled back in front with an 8-0 run over the ensuing two minutes and 40 seconds. Tulane responded with a 13-4 run over the following four minutes and 18 seconds to take back the lead, only for PJ Carter to snatch it away with a 3-pointer at the 7:08 mark.

Brumbaugh eventually converted a layup to give Tulane a 71-70 advantage with 47 seconds to play. That’s when Haggerty, who’d only scored 10 points up to that time, knew he had to seal the deal. He first retook the lead for Memphis with two made free throws. Then, he stole the ball from Brumbaugh on the floor and called timeout. His two foul shots after that gave the Tigers a 3-point cushion.

Haggerty went on to sink four more at the charity stripe to clinch a Tigers victory. Brumbaugh’s deep 3-pointer at the buzzer—though impressive—didn’t matter.

Haggerty finished the game with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. He hit just two of his 13 field-goal attempts, but made up for by draining all of his foul shots. Cisse, meanwhile, earned Memphis’ second double-double of the afternoon with 10 points, 11 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals.