Brice Williams tied his career high with 32 points in driving Nebraska to a 69-55 win over Hawai’i in the Diamond Head Classic Tuesday in Honolulu. Williams shot 8-for-10 from the field in propelling the Huskers to the tournament championship Christmas Day at 7:30 p.m. against Oregon State.
Juwan Gary added a season-high 21 points for Nebraska against the Rainbow Warriors. Gary and Williams were especially potent in the second half, tallying 34 points after halftime as the Huskers built on a two-point lead at the intermission to bury the home team. In the first half, a 15-0 run secured control of the game for NU, but once again, Nebraska’s defense was suffocating at times, allowing just two Hawai’i field goals over the final six minutes to polish off the Huskers’ victory. The Cornhuskers held the Warriors to a season-low 55 points, 12 under their prior season low.
The win snaps a five-game losing streak to the Warriors and pushes Nebraska into its first multi-team tournament final since the 2018 Hall of Fame Classic.
The Huskers now prepare to face Oregon State in the tournament final. The Beavers erased a 12-point deficit in the final 4:30 of regulation to force overtime against Oakland before securing an 80-74 OT win in the semis. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Christmas night, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on KLIN.