Nebraska frustrates Hofstra in Puerto Rico tourney

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Nebraska frustrated Hofstra star Charles Jenkins as the Cornhuskers defeated the Pride, 62-47, Sunday in the seventh-place game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament.

Jenkins had 15 points and Mike Moore 12 for Hofstra (1-3), which was 0-3 in the tournament.

Jenkins scored from all over the floor against North Carolina and Western Kentucky before struggling against the Huskers. He shot 67 percent from the field and totaled 51 points in the first two games but didn't crack double digits in this one until late in the second half.

"I knew they were going to do everything they could with the way Charles played the last two nights to take him out of the game," Hofstra coach Mo Cassara said. "I think part of the issue was that Charles was out of gas. He got a little tired tonight."

Hofstra led 10-5, but the Pride cooled after the early run and the Cornhuskers went on a hot streak, hitting 11 of their first 20 shots.

Ray Gallegos and Eshaunte Jones made consecutive three-pointers for a 24-18 lead. Hofstra went the final 9:06 of the half without a field goal and Nebraska led 32-21 at the break.

Nebraska's Jorge Brian Diaz, the only player from Puerto Rico in the eight-team field, enjoyed a family reunion as well as the win. The 6-11 sophomore scored a team-high 11 points.

Diaz's mother was at the game, as were other friends and family. Diaz needed at least 40 tickets to meet the demand for his fans, who had never seen him play in person for Nebraska.

"I was pretty happy,'' said Diaz, a resident of Caguas. "I don't get to see them that often."

He snuffed a brief Hofstra rally with a twisting layup that made it 56-42 and brought applause from his cheering section.

The Huskers (3-2) held on to earn their first win in the tournament. "It would have been better if we could have got wins in the first two games," Diaz said.

Fans stood, cheered and snapped pictures when Diaz left the game with less than a minute to go. He posed for pictures with fans after the game and waved to children who called his name.