RJ Davis scored 18 points, Elliot Cadeau notched 12 of his 17 points in the second half and No. 10 North Carolina began its week on the Hawaiian islands with an 87-69 win over Hawaii on Friday in Honolulu.
The Tar Heels (3-1) went on an 11-0 run in early in the second half to create separation against the Rainbow Warriors (4-1). The quick burst put a halt to a gradual chipping away at a first-half deficit of as many as 11 points for Hawaii.
The Rainbow Warriors pulled within three points just before halftime, and they were down by five after Tanner Christensen’s dunk 27 seconds into the second half. North Carolina then ripped off the next 11, part of an overall run of 19-4 that expanded the gap to 60-40.
The Tar Heels’ advantage remained in double-digits the rest of the way, though Hawaii had a few opportunities to pull within nine or 10 points midway through the half. A missed Gytis Nemeiksa free throw with Hawaii down by 12 points led to a Cadeau layup, igniting a 14-6 Tar Heels run that blew the game open.
Seth Trimble joined Cadeau in pacing North Carolina in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points after intermission. Trimble finished 6-for-7 from the foul line, part of the Tar Heels’ 26-for-34 night at the charity stripe.
Ian Jackson came off the North Carolina bench to score 11 points, six on a perfect performance from the free-throw line.
The Tar Heels were able to get to the stripe consistently by attacking the rim, which also helped produce 44 points in the paint. North Carolina limited Hawaii to 26 points on the interior.
Nemeiksa and Christensen each recorded double-doubles for the Rainbow Warriors. Nemeiksa scored a team-high 16 points and Christensen added 10, with both grabbing 10 rebounds.
Akira Jacobs shot 3-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 13 points off the bench, and Marcus Greene contributed 10 points.
The Tar Heels begin play in the Maui Invitational against Dayton on Monday. Hawaii plays host to Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
