WATCH: Memphis’ Tyrese Hunter shouts 3 words to rile up the crowd vs Dan Hurley’s UConn

Tyrese Hunter had a monumental impact in the Memphis Tigers' 99-97 OT win against the defending champs UConn Huskies in the opening game of the Maui Invitational Tournament. The senior guard erupted for a game-high 26 points as he went 70% from the 3-point line (7-10).

One of his biggest moments in the game came when Hunter sank his seventh triple to give Memphis a 10-point edge against Dan Hurley's crew. The guard made the most out of the instance by hyping the Tigers fans in the arena.

Tyrese Hunter opened the contest by attempting five 3-pointers in the first half, adding nine points to Memphis' 40 points at the break. He entered the second half with a hot hand, sinking a triple on the Tigers' first possession.

After a brief pause, Hunter dropped 14 points in just four minutes (12:14 - 8:17), going 3 of 3 from the field and the free throw line.

It was Hunter's best scoring performance for Penny Hardaway and third-best of his college basketball career. The guard began his Divison I journey with Iowa State Cyclones in 2021 and played for Texas in his sophomore and junior seasons.

With Memphis, Hunter is en route to his best college season. He is averaging nearly 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.7 steals while shooting 53% from the 3-point line.

Tyrese Hunter capitalized on his experience of playing the Huskies

Despite having a quick 17 points, Tyrese Hunter soon went passive on the scoring. Even though he saw significant time on the court, he did not attempt a single shot in the last eight minutes and during overtime, even after guard PJ Haggerty was fouled out.

However, Hunter claimed he already had a game plan entering the contest due to his experience playing UConn last season.

"I know the type of intensity that they bring, so I knew what to expect," Hunter said to UConn's beat writer Sam Calhoun.

Hunter played Dan Hurley's crew as a Longhorn in the Saatva Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden last season. He scored 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds. However, the Huskies led right from the start and never allowed Texas to erase the deficit, winning the contest 81-71.