Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Brice Williams matched his career high with 32 points and Juwon Gary scored a season-high 21 to lead Nebraska to a 69-55 victory over Hawaii on Monday night, sending the Cornhuskers to the title game of the Diamond Head Classic.

Nebraska (9-2) will play Oregon State on Christmas Day for the championship of the eight-team tournament. Hawaii (7-4) will play Oakland for third place, also on Wednesday.

Williams made 10 of 18 shots with four 3-pointers and all eight of his free throws for the Cornhuskers (10-2), who have won three in a row and will play for their first tournament title since the 2018 Hall of Fame Classic. Gary buried 8 of 10 shots with three 3-pointers and both of his foul shots.

Williams had 11 points and Gary scored eight to help Nebraska take a 29-27 lead into halftime. Marcus Greene had nine points to keep Hawaii close.

Williams and Gary combined to score 34 of the Cornhuskers’ 40 points in the second half. The senior duo combined to make 13 of 18 shots while their teammates made 3 of 9.

The Rainbow Warriors scored the first four points of the second half to grab the lead. Williams answered with a layup and a 3-pointer and Nebraska never trailed again.

Greene led Hawaii with 11 points. Kody Williams and Akira Jacobs both scored 10.

Nebraska has won 34 in a row when holding its opponent to 70 points or less.

Hawaii leads the series 7-3 with all 10 games being played in Honolulu. The two teams had not met since the 2014 event.

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The Kilauea volcano erupted Monday morning on Hawaii’s Big Island following increased earthquake activity beneath its summit, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, began erupting around 2:30 a.m. local time within the Halemaʻumaʻu crater, which is part of the much larger Kilauea caldera at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Webcam footage showed flowing lava and a line of fissures spewing lava fountains at the base of the crater within the summit caldera, the geological survey said.

The volcano is located along the southeastern shore of the Island of Hawaii within the national park, a popular tourist destination for those hoping to catch glimpses of volcanic activity. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park encompasses the summits of two of the world’s most active volcanoes: Kilauea and Mauna Loa.

Volcanic eruption at Kilauea

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Monday raised the volcano alert level from an advisory to a warning, meaning a hazardous eruption “is imminent, underway, or suspected.” The survey also issued a red aviation color code, which indicates a “significant emission of volcanic ash” is likely, suspected or imminent, according to the USGS.

Elevated earthquake activity was first detected beneath the summit at approximately 2 a.m. local time Monday.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said it “will continue to monitor this activity closely and report any significant changes in future notices.”

The national park has not yet posted any visitor information about the volcanic activity.

Watch: Livestream captures volcanic eruption

Kilauea has erupted several times this year

Kilauea erupted most recently between Sept. 15-20 along the middle East Rift Zone, a remote and closed area of the park, amid increased seismic activity in the area, before moving into the Napau Crater. 

The volcano also erupted in June about a mile south of Kilauea caldera, marking the first eruption in that region of the volcano in about 50 years. The last one took place in December 1974.

Kilauea erupted three times in 2023, bringing more than 10,000 tourists to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to see the fountains of lava. In 2018, the volcano erupted for three months straight, destroying more than 700 structures, including 200 homes on Big Island, and displacing some 3,000 people – many of whom were unable to return home more than a year after the eruption.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

WAIMEA BAY (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s official: Landon McNamara has won the 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.

He received 135.8 points as well as the highest-scoring wave of the competition — a perfect score of 15 — which earned him the Best Wave Award.

“This is a childhood dream of mine, something I’ve been working at since being a little kid on the beach here, watching these events go down,” he said. “I don’t know what to feel right now. I’ve already cried 10 times.

“I’m grateful to Eddie,” McNamara said. “Both my heats, I had a turtle I was following. For real. … They say Eddie picks the winner, and I’m so grateful he picked me.”

The accomplishment is even more fitting considering his father, Liam McNamara, is the contest director.

The top nine finishers were:

1. Landon McNamara (HI, 2024 WINNER)
2. Mason Ho (HI)
3. Billy Kemper (HI)
4. Jamie O’Brien (HI)
5. Nic Lamb (CA)
6. Luke Shepardson (HI, 2023 WINNER)
7. Nathan Florence (HI)
8. Kai Lenny (HI)
9. Koa Rothman (HI)

Competitor Greg Long received the Aloha Spirit Award. “Participating in this event has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life,” he said.

THE EDDIE IS ON: View our complete coverage

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Oahu’s North Shore to witness the historic event Sunday.

Waves were 50 feet in face height, according to Liam McNamara.

“The conditions are amazing. There’s a strong offshore breeze right now,” McNamara told Hawaii News Now early Sunday morning. “We’re looking for an amazing day of competition. This is a historic day. We want to make sure we start it with a bang and we end with a bang.”

This is the 11th time “The Eddie” has run in the last 40 years, and participation is by invitation only.

Previous Coverage:

For more information:

• Rip Curl The Eddie Big Wave Invitational
• TheEddieAikau.com

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