HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team's bid for a spot in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic title game was turned away with a 69-55 semifinal loss to Nebraska on Monday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. 
 
UH (7-4) held a two-point advantage early in the second half but the Huskers (9-2) slowly pulled away thereafter to advance to the tournament championship where they will face Oregon State on Christmas Day. The Rainbow Warriors will take on Oakland in the third-place game at 1:30 p.m. 
 
Brice WIlliams scored a game-high 32 points, while Juwan Gary added 21 to lead Nebraska which won its third straight game and ended a five-game series slide against Hawaii. Williams finished 10 for 18 from the field, including a  4-for-5 performance from three-point range, and made all eight of his free-throw attempts. Gary went 8-for-10 from the field, including 3 for 4 from beyond the arc.
 
Marcus Greene led the Rainbow Warriors with 11 points and Kody Williams and Akira Jacobs had 10 apiece for UH which lost for just the second time in its last 15 home games dating back to last season. Williams hit all five of his shots from the field and Greene drained three from long range. The 'Bows shot 42.6% from the field overall, but were held to their lowest point total of the season.
 
For the second straight night UH got off to a hot start. The 'Bows jumped out to a 12-5 lead over the Huskers in the early minutes and built its lead to as many as eight, 22-14, with 8:41 left in the half. But suddenly the 'Bows went ice cold, missing 11 straight shots and going scoreless for eight minutes.
 
The Huskers scored 15 unanswered to take a seven-point lead of their own, but UH took momentum into the locker room by scoring five points in the final 40 seconds, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Greene at the halftime buzzer. Nebraska held a slim 29-27 lead in a first half that saw both teams shoot just 35 percent from the floor. 
 
UH scored the first four points out of the locker room to go ahead, 31-29. But the Huskers scored nine of the game's next 11 points to re-seize the lead. Nebraska wouldn't trail again taking its first double-digit lead at the nine-minute mark. The 'Bows cut the deficit to six on a three-pointer by Jacobs with less than seven minutes remaining but would get no closer. Nebraska shot 59.3 percent from the field in the second half and finished at 47.3 percent for the game.
 
Monday Results
Charleston 74, Loyola Chicago, 65
Oregon State 80, Oakland 74 (OT)
Nebraska 69, Hawai'i 55
Charlotte 94, Murray State 90 (2OT)
 
Christmas Day Schedule
7th Place: Murray State vs. Loyola Chicago, 8:30 a.m.
5th Place: Charlotte vs. Charleston, 10:30 a.m.
3rd Place: Oakland vs. Hawaii, 1:30 p.m.
Championship: Oregon State vs. Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.