Nebraska Triumphs Over Hawai’i: A Dynamic Game Recap from December 23, 2024!

HONOLULU — — Brice Williams equaled his career-best with 32 points while Juwon Gary added a season-best 21, propelling Nebraska to a 69-55 triumph over Hawaii on Monday evening, propelling the Cornhuskers to the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic.

Nebraska (9-2) is set to face Oregon State on Christmas Day for the championship of the eight-team tournament. Hawaii (7-4) will go up against Oakland for third place, which will also take place on Wednesday.

Williams converted 10 of 18 attempts including four 3-pointers and sank all eight of his free throws for the Cornhuskers (10-2), who have achieved three consecutive victories and are vying for their first tournament title since the 2018 Hall of Fame Classic. Gary hit 8 of 10 shots with three 3-pointers and converted both of his free throws.

Williams scored 11 points while Gary added eight, contributing to Nebraska taking a 29-27 advantage at halftime. Marcus Greene contributed nine points to keep Hawaii competitive.

In the second half, Williams and Gary tallied 34 of the Cornhuskers’ 40 points. The experienced duo made 13 of 18 shots collectively, while their teammates managed 3 of 9.

The Rainbow Warriors secured the first four points of the second half to take the lead. Williams countered with a layup and a 3-pointer, after which Nebraska never fell behind again.

Greene topped Hawaii with 11 points, while Kody Williams and Akira Jacobs each scored 10.

Nebraska has now recorded 34 consecutive victories when restricting its opponent to 70 points or fewer.

Hawaii leads the series 7-3, with all 10 contests held in Honolulu. The two teams had not faced each other since the 2014 event.

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