HONOLULU (AP) — R.J. Davis scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half and No. 10 North Carolina pulled away from Hawaii 87-69 on Friday night.
Elliot Cadeau had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Seth Trimble scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime and Ian Jackson added 11 for the Tar Heels (3-1).
Davis, an All-American guard, moved into fourth place on North Carolina’s all-time career scoring list. He overtook Sam Perkins with his free throw at the 11:59 mark of the first half.
Gytis Nemeiksa led Hawaii with 16 points and had 10 rebounds. Akira Jacobs made three 3-pointers and scored 13 points off the bench. Tanner Christensen had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Green added 10 points for the Rainbow Warriors (4-1).
North Carolina never trailed and led by as many as 21.
North Carolina: Despite being outrebounded 40 to 27, the Tar Heels turned it over just five times and limited Hawaii to five points off turnovers.
Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors used a 12-4 run late in the first half to make it a one-possession game at 35-32 but weren't able to overcome its cold perimeter shooting (8 of 23 on 3-pointers).
Hawaii cut North Carolina’s lead to 41-36 with Christensen’s bucket 27 seconds into the second half, but Jalen Washington ignited a 19-4 run for the Tar Heels with his answer on the other end. Drake Powell’s easy basket inside, off an assist from Washington, capped the run and stretched it back to a 60-40 cushion.
North Carolina was dominant in transition and outscored Hawaii in fast-break points 19 to 1.
North Carolina takes part in the Maui Invitational and will open against Dayton on Monday while Hawaii hosts Division II Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday.
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