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.

Series Sweep Eludes Huskers

Nebraska won the weekend series but couldn’t complete the sweep, as the Huskers fell 7-5 in the series finale against Rutgers at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park on Sunday afternoon.

Nebraska (14-18, 4-8 Big Ten) scored five runs on nine hits and an error, while Rutgers (15-17, 5-7 Big Ten) totaled seven runs, 15 hits and three errors.

Tyler Stone led the Big Red at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Cayden Brumbaugh, Case Sanderson and Joshua Overbeek had a two-hit afternoon, while Cael Frost tallied a hit.

Jackson Brockett dropped to 0-3 on the season, allowing three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Gavin Blachowicz allowed one run on two hits in two outs, while Caleb Clark gave up an unearned run in 1.1 innings on two hits.

Drew Christo tossed 1.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, while Luke Broderick worked a perfect ninth inning with two punchouts.

Rutgers plated the first run of the game with a trio of hits in the top of the third inning. The Scarlet Knights had runs on first and second with two outs after an infield single to third base. Rutgers broke the scoreless deadlock with an RBI single placed down the left-field line to make it a 1-0 game.

The Huskers capitalized on a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth to even the game at one. Stone worked a full-count walk to open the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dylan Carey. A groundout to second advanced Stone to third base, while an RBI single through the right side from Frost tied the game at one through four innings.

Rutgers responded with three runs behind three hits in the top of the fifth inning to grab a 4-1 advantage. The Scarlet Knights led off the inning with a single and a double to the wall in right-center field to take a 2-1 lead with no outs. Rutgers tacked on two more runs with a sacrifice fly, followed by a two-out RBI double after a walk.

Brumbaugh began the bottom of the sixth with a single to center, while Stone’s RBI double down the left-field line brought home Brumbaugh from first base to bring the Huskers within 4-2 through six innings.

An infield single, joined with an errant throw had a runner on second base for the Scarlet Knights in the top of the seventh, while an RBI single to the left-center gap gave the visitors a 5-2 lead going into the seventh-inning stretch.

Nebraska responded with two runs on three hits and a pair of errors to climb back within a run. Overbeek reached on a one-out bunt single, while a wild throw on the play advanced the senior to second base. Sanderson followed with an RBI single to center, scoring Overbeek from second and making it a 5-3 game.

Brumbaugh reached on a throwing error, while a second throwing error on the play moved Sanderson to third to put runners on first and third with two outs. Stone took advantage of the error, lacing a 1-0 pitch for an RBI single through the right side to bring the Huskers within 5-4 through seven innings.

Rutgers answered with two runs on three hits to expand its lead to 7-4 in the top of the eighth. A solo homer to begin the inning doubled the lead to 6-4, while an RBI single to right field after a double down the right-field line gave the Scarlet Knights a three-run advantage.

Devin Nunez reached on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the eighth and scored from first base on Overbeek’s two-out RBI double off the wall in center field.

Broderick retired the Scarlet Knights in order in the top of the ninth to send a 7-5 game into the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Husker offense brought the tying run to the plate after Silva reached on a leadoff four-pitch walk, but the next three Huskers were sat down to preserve Rutgers’ 7-5 win on Sunday afternoon.

Nebraska steps out of conference play, as the Huskers venture to Lawrence, Kan., for a midweek visit to Kansas on Tuesday. First pitch between the Big Red and Jayhawks is set for 6 p.m. 

Huskers Fall to Hawkeyes on Sunday

The No. 20 Nebraska softball team dropped the series finale to the Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 5-2 on Sunday afternoon in Iowa City. NU still clinched the series after grabbing wins on Friday and Saturday. 

The Huskers fell to 28-10 (8-3 Big Ten) while Iowa improved to 22-14 (3-6 Big Ten). 

NU had eight hits to the Hawkeyes’ five, but errors and free bases proved to be costly, as the Big Red notched a two-out error, a walk and three hit by pitches in Iowa’s five-run third inning.

Jordyn Bahl had three hits, including a double, Bella Bacon added two hits and Ava Kuszak and Kacie Hoffmann each had one. Hoffmann also contributed an RBI.  

Bahl (15-4) took the loss in the circle. She threw 2.2 innings and allowed five runs, but none were earned. She also notched five strikeouts. Kylee Magee pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and Hannah Camenzind tossed 2.0 scoreless frames. Jalen Adams (16-5) grabbed the win for the Hawkeyes.

Bahl doubled in the top of the third and went home on a Hawkeye error that also sent Bland to second. Bland scored on a Hoffmann double after advancing to third on a Hannah Camenzind groundout, and NU took a 2-0 lead.

Iowa grabbed a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the third on just two singles, fueled by an error that extended the inning and four combined walks and hit-by-pitches.

Nebraska's offense threatened throughout the game - including two runners on with no outs in the top of the seventh- but the Huskers were just 4-for-18 with runners on base and 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

The Huskers will take on the Creighton Bluejays in a midweek matchup on Wednesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed on B1G+ and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network. 

Postgame Notes

  • Nebraska has won three consecutive Big Ten series after splitting a two-game series at Ohio State to open conference play.
  • Jordyn Bahl had three hits to post her 15th multi-hit game of the season and fourth game with three or more hits.
  • Bella Bacon had two hits, her second straight multi-hit game and sixth of the season.