FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — PJ Haggerty made eight free throws and forced a huge turnover in the final minute as 16th-ranked Memphis beat Tulane 78-77 on Saturday to advance to the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.
Haggerty, the AAC player of the year, put the Tigers (28-5) ahead to stay with two free throws that made it 72-71 with 40 seconds left. He finished with 18 points, going 14 for 14 at the line and 2 of 13 from the field a day after his 42 points matched an AAC tourney record.
Dain Dainja had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, and Moussa Cisse had 10 points and 11 boards.
Rowan Brumbaugh had 22 points for Tulane (19-14), which had five players score in double figures.
After Haggerty’s go-ahead free throws, Brumbaugh drove for a layup that was pinned against the backboard by Cisse. Referees initially ruled it was interference and counted the basket, but changed the call after a long review.
Tulane kept possession with 26 seconds left, but Haggerty then poked the ball away from Brumbaugh, diving over him to grab the ball and call timeout. Haggerty made six free throws after that.
Brumbaugh swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Kam Williams had 16 points for Tulane, and Asher Woods finished with 15.
Takeaways
Tulane: The Green Wave dropped to 0-4 in AAC semifinal games.
Memphis: The Tigers played the final 15 minutes without key defender Tyrese Hunter, who ended the game sitting on the bench with his left foot in a boot. … Memphis, regular-season champs for the first time, earned its only AAC tournament title in 2023.
Key moment
Haggerty made a big play when he got the ball back after the lengthy review that took away the basket that would have given Tulane the lead.
Key stat
The game was close because Memphis players other than Haggerty were 9 of 24 on free throws. Dainja was 3 of 13.
Up next
Memphis plays UAB on Sunday for the AAC Tournament title in one of the last games before the release of the NCAA Tournament field. The Tigers will be in the 68-team field with or without the league’s automatic bid.
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