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Gytis Nemeiksa jumper
70
Oakland Oak 4-9,1-2 Horizon
73
Winner Hawaii Hawaii 8-4,0-1 Big West
Oakland Oak
4-9,1-2 Horizon
70
Final
73
Hawaii Hawaii
8-4,0-1 Big West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Oakland Oak 25 39 6 70
Hawaii Hawaii 32 32 9 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Triumphs Over Oakland In Exhilarating OT Win

HONOLULU – in a Christmas Day thriller, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team captured third place in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic with a 73-70 overtime win over Oakland at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. 

In a game that featured 17 ties and 20 lead changes, the Rainbow Warriors had the final say. Harry Rouhliadeff had a go-ahead tip-in with 46 seconds left in overtime and Gytis Nemeiksa blocked a game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer to seal the victory.

Nemeiksa poured in a career-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Rouhliadeff added career-high 15 points - 11 of which came in the second half and overtime - while Ryan Rapp finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

UH forced overtime by overcoming an eight-point second-half deficit with the help of an extended 13-3 run over a five-minute stretch ending at the two-minute mark. The two teams traded buckets down the stretch before a pair of Tanner Christensen free throws with 4.7 seconds left tied it at 64.

The game was back-and-forth from the get go. After being held to just one point on 0-of-5 shooting in UH's loss versus Nebraska, Nemeiksa came out with a vengeance. The senior forward scored the team's first 11 points and 17 in all in the first half to help UH stake a 32-25 lead at the break. UH trailed 23-21 with 4:32 left but closed out on a 12-2 run to take a seven-point advantage into the locker room. 

The second half was more of the same with the teams trading runs. Oakland went on a 9-0 run coming out of the locker room to reclaim the lead before the 'Bows answered with eight straight to go back up by six. The Grizzlies then went on separate 7-0 and 8-0 spurts to take a 54-46 lead at the 7:46 mark ahead of the UH comeback. 

In overtime Rapp drilled a three-pointer on UH's first possession. UH would not trail again, though the game was tied for a second and final time in overtime when Malcolm Christie, who had a game-high 27 points for the Golden Grizzlies, drilled a three-pointer with 1:36 left. 

After Rouhliadeff's tip-in and a Marcus Greene free throw with 18 seconds left, Oakland had one last possession. But Christie's three-point attempt from the wing was off the mark and Isaiah Jones, who grabbed the offensive rebound, had one last gasp with a three-point attempt of his own, but it was denied by Nemeiksa's big block.

UH held Oakland to just 35 percent for the game, including 1-of-8 shooting in overtime, and out-rebounded the Grizzlies, 44-34. 

The Rainbow Warriors will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 2 when they host UC Santa Barbara in a Big West contest. Tipoff is 7:00 p.m. at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. 

Christmas Day Results
7th Place: Murray State 81, Loyola Chicago 78
5th Place: Charleston 84, Charlotte 81
3rd Place: Hawaii 73, Oakland 70 (OT)
Championship: Nebraska 78, Oregon State 66

All Tournament Team
Deywilk Tavarez, College of Charleston
Gytis Nemeiksa, Hawai'
Demarco Minor, Oregon State,
Berke Buyuktuncel, Nebraska
MOP: Brice Willliams, Nebraska

 
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