Nebraska beats Oregon State 78-66 in the Diamond Head Classic championship game

Updated Dec. 26, 2024 12:50 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

HONOLULU (AP) — Brice Williams scored 11 of his 25 points in the final six minutes and Nebraska closed on a 6-0 run to beat Oregon State 78-66 on Wednesday night in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic.

Nebraska (10-2) claimed 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 his Iowa State squad in 2013.

After Oregon State (10-3) tied it at 51 with 10:20 to go, Nebraska used a 10-2 run to take control as the Beavers went five-plus minutes without a field goal. The Cornhuskers' lead didn't drop below four points the rest of the way.

Berke Buyuktuncel banked in a 3-pointer with 1:51 left to extend Nebraska's lead to 72-63.

Buyuktuncel finished 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 the break. 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 Nebraska and Oregon State met at a neutral site, with last year's game being played in South Dakota.

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

____ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-toWp-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

share

in this topic

Oregon State Beavers

Nebraska Cornhuskers