Brice Williams scored 28 points on 8-for-14 shooting, and Nebraska held on for an 81-69 win over Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown tournament on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Juwan Gary added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Nebraska (19-14). The Cornhuskers advanced to the tournament semifinals, where they will meet Boise State on Saturday.
Malik Mack scored 25 points to lead Georgetown (18-16). Jordan Burks, who finished with 11 points, was the only other Hoyas player to score in double digits.
Nebraska won the rebound battle 40-31 and posted a 34-18 advantage in points in the paint. The Cornhuskers also had a 14-7 edge in points off turnovers.
Georgetown never led. The game was tied for 61 seconds and Nebraska led for 38:59.
The Cornhuskers led by as many as 19 points in the second half before Georgetown regrouped.
Brice Williams made a layup to give Nebraska a 45-26 lead with 16:17 remaining. The shot capped an 11-2 run by the Cornhuskers to start the second half.
The Hoyas answered with an 18-8 run to cut the deficit to 53-44 with 11:21 to play. Kayvaun Mulready made a 3-pointer to bring Georgetown within single digits.
Austin Montgomery trimmed the deficit to 77-69 with a dunk with 2:43 to go for Georgetown. That proved to be the Hoyas’ final basket as Nebraska finished the game with four straight points.
Nebraska built a 34-24 lead at the half.
Caleb Williams brought Georgetown within 16-15 when he made a jump shot with 10:12 remaining in the first half.
The Cornhuskers responded with a 7-0 run to grab a 23-15 lead with 7:54 left in the half. Connor Essegian drained a 3-pointer to punctuate the run.
Later in the half, Nebraska went on a 9-0 run to increase its lead to 32-18 with 3:13 to play. Essegian had a layup and a jump shot during the run, Gary contributed a 3-pointer and Brice Williams finished it with a pair of free throws.