Nebraska 78-66 Oregon State (December 25, 2024) Game Recap

HONOLULU – Brice Williams scored 11 of his 25 points in the final six minutes and Nebraska closed with a 6-0 run over Oregon State 78-66 in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic on Wednesday night.

Nebraska (10-2) captured its first tournament title since the San Juan Shootout in 2000 when the Cornhuskers won three games by a total of four points. Fred Hoiberg also became the first coach to win multiple Diamond Head Classic titles, including in 2013 with his Iowa State team.

After Oregon State (10-3) tied it at 51 with 10:20 left, Nebraska used a 10-2 run to take control while the Beavers went more than five minutes without a field goal. The Cornhuskers’ lead did not drop below four points as the game progressed.

Berke Buyuktuncel hit a three-pointer with 1:51 left to extend Nebraska’s lead to 72-63.

Buyuktuncel finished the game with 16 points and three 3-pointers, and Juwan Gary added 14 for Nebraska.

Nate Kingz scored 19 points and Damarco Minor added 16 for Oregon State.

Williams scored 10 points in the first half to help Nebraska take a 34-33 lead at halftime. The Cornhuskers shot 50% from the field, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half.

It was the second straight year that Nebraska and Oregon State met at a neutral site, with the game played in South Dakota last year.

Nebraska returns home to play Southern on Monday when Oregon State plays Portland.

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