HONOLULU — Isaiah Hicks scored 16 points and No. 5 North Carolina pulled away from Hawaii for an 83-68 victory Friday night.
The Tar Heels (4-0) never trailed and had five players score in double figures.
Hicks scored 10 points after halftime and shot 7 of 8 from the field for the game. Kennedy Meeks and Nate Britt had 13 points apiece. Justin Jackson scored 11 and Tony Bradley 10.
North Carolina led by as many as 18 in the closing minutes. The Tar Heels shot 63.3 percent (19 of 30) in the second half.
Noah Allen, a UCLA transfer, led Hawaii with 22 points. Jack Purchase added 14 and Sheriff Drammeh 13 for the Rainbow Warriors (2-2).
North Carolina closed the first half on a 5-0 run and led 35-27 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
North Carolina: Junior guard Joel Berry II entered averaging a team-high 21.3 points per game, but was held to just two. His only basket came on a 14-foot pull-up jumper with about 5 minutes left. … The Tar Heels’ depth was evident as they dominated Hawaii in bench scoring, 28-12.
Hawaii: The young Rainbow Warriors have only three active players back from last season’s squad that won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in school history. Hawaii dropped to 19-104 against Top 25 teams, including a 2-19 mark vs. top-5 squads.
UP NEXT
North Carolina: The Tar Heels, who are 30-5 all-time in the 50th state, will face their second straight Hawaii opponent when they take on Division II Chaminade in a Maui Invitational quarterfinal Monday.
Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors will host Division II Hawaii-Hilo on Tuesday, their fifth of 13 straight games on-island to open the season, although five of them are part of two tournaments (Pearl Harbor Invitational, Diamond Head Classic).