LAS VEGAS (AP) — Senior Brice Williams scored 21 points to set the single-season scoring record for Nebraska and the Cornhuskers out-rallied UCF for a 77-66 victory in the championship game of the College Basketball Crown at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Williams made 6 of 14 shots with three 3-pointers and 6 of 8 free throws for Nebraska (21-14). He scored 713 points this season — five more than James Palmer Jr. had in the 2018-19 season.
Connor Essegian sank 8 of 16 shots with four 3-pointers, also scoring 21 for the Cornhuskers. Juwan Gary had 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting, adding eight rebounds.
Jordan Ivy-Curry came off the bench to score a season-high 29 for the Knights (20-17). He made 12 of 22 shots — 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. Nils Machowski totaled 13 points and six rebounds. Moustapha Thiam had 11 rebounds to go with nine points.
Williams hit two 3-pointers to help Nebraska jump in front 15-9 in the first eight minutes. The Cornhuskers led by as many as 12 and played with the lead until Darius Johnson sank two free throws to tie it at 33 with 1:46 left before halftime. Gary made two free throws to end a nearly four-minute scoring drought for Nebraska, but Dallan Coleman answered with a second-chance layup to forge a 35-all tie at the break.
The Knights scored the first 14 points of the second half — capped by a 3-pointer from Tyler Hendricks — to move in front for the first time since they led 3-0. Nebraska’s first basket didn’t come until the 14:36 mark when Gary had a layup. He scored nine in an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to three. Essegian hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it at 52. Andrew Morgan followed with two straight dunks and the Cornhuskers never trailed over the final 9:48.
Williams also set Nebraska’s single-game scoring record this season with 43 points in a 116-114 double-overtime road loss to Ohio State on March 4.
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