Keisei Tominaga wins college 3-point contest: Nebraska star wows crowd with buzzer-beating, Stephen Curry-like shots

Dan Treacy

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Keisei Tominaga wins college 3-point contest: Nebraska star wows crowd with buzzer-beating, Stephen Curry-like shots image

The basketball world watched as Nebraska star Keisei Tominaga ended his college career in tears after the Cornhuskers' NCAA Tournament loss to Texas A&M. He couldn't really go out like that, could he?

Tominaga was back to his old self on Thursday night, winning the college 3-point contest in a way only he could.

The sharpshooter drilled shots so quickly that he had time left on the clock during each of his three rounds, and he used that extra time to put on a show for the crowd. Tominaga paused his routine, waited until the final second approached, and put up a shot at the buzzer each time — even when the contest was on the line.

Then, Tominaga capped off the night by winning the battle of the champions against women's 3-point contest winner Sara Scalia.

Here's a deeper look at Tominaga's outstanding 3-point contest victory over some of college basketball's top shooters.

MORE: Results from college slam dunk contest

Keisei Tominaga wins 3-point contest

Tominaga beat out Hofstra's Tyler Thomas in the final round, posting 19 points. It was his lowest total of the night.

The real fun began in the first round, when Tominaga allowed a few seconds to tick off the clock, put up his final ball just before the buzzer sounded, and turned around to the crowd (and camera) before it even went in, Steph Curry style. Tominaga led all participants with 25 points in the first round.

The same scenario played out in the second round, but this time Tominaga's buzzer-beater decided whether or not he advanced. The shot went in, giving Tominaga 24 points to Jamison Battle's 23 and setting up a finals battle with Thomas.

While both shooters might have been a bit fatigued by the final round, Tominaga heated up toward the end and pulled ahead with one ball still remaining to end his college career with a bang.

Tominaga coasted past Indiana's Sara Scalia in the battle of the champions, overcoming a tough start to post a 20 and beat out Scalia's 16 — and, yes, he drilled a shot at the buzzer.

Tominaga shot 37.6 percent from beyond the arc this past season, after shooting a career-high 40 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23. Outside shooting made Tominaga a star with the Cornhuskers, and it gave him one more moment to savor on Thursday night.

Elsewhere, March Madness sensation Jack Gohlke underwhelmed by putting up the second-lowest score of the first round and failing to advance. Gohlke will gladly take the NCAA Tournament win over Kentucky instead, but Tominaga gave fans a glimpse of who else could've been a viral star if a few more shots fell for Nebraska against Texas A&M. 

College 3-point contest results

Player Team Round 1 Round 2 Finals
Jamison Battle Ohio State 23 23 N/A
Boo Buie Northwestern 19 22 N/A
Boogie Ellis USC 17 N/A N/A
Jack Gohlke Oakland 16 N/A N/A
Quincy Olivari Xavier 14 N/A N/A
Antonio Reeves Kentucky 19 N/A N/A
Tyler Thomas Hofstra 20 26 17
Keisei Tominaga Nebraska 25 24 19

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.