No. 5 UNC Overcomes Slow Start, Tops Hawaii on the Road

Early on during the UNC men’s basketball game against Hawaii, the No. 5 Tar Heels looked every bit like a team that had just flown all the way across the country.

At halftime, UNC led the Rainbow Warriors by just eight points and was shooting under 40 percent–but an inspired second-half effort helped the Tar Heels seal up an 83-68 victory on the road.

Playing in the wee hours of the morning–the game started at 1 a.m. Eastern Time–it was evident that the Tar Heels were not quite at their sharpest.

Head coach Roy Williams saw his team put together its worst shooting half of the season during the first half on Saturday, followed by its best of the season during the second half. (Todd Melet)

UNC (4-0) had five players score in double figures against Hawaii (2-2), but perhaps the most notable statistic is that junior point guard Joel Berry–who had yet to score was held to just two points after shooting 1-for-9.

Senior forward Isaiah Hicks led the way with 16 points, while Kennedy Meeks and Nate Britt each added 13 apiece.

For the fourth straight game to begin his career, freshman big man Tony Bradley reached double figures—tacking on 10 points–while Justin Jackson poured in 11.

Bradley also racked up his first career double-double by pulling in 13 rebounds as well, continuing to flash the potential of a future star.

The Tar Heels shot 63 percent–including six made three-pointers–in the second half, as they opened up an 18-point lead with under two minutes to play.

It turns out that was just what the doctor ordered, since UNC wasn’t quite as polished as it would have liked to been defensively–allowing the Warriors to shoot 55 percent in the second half.

Hawaii fought until the closing whistle, but ultimately the talent and size difference between the teams meant more than a little bit of jet lag.

Guard Noah Allen led the way for the home team with 22 points, while Jack Purchase and Sheriff Drammeh added 14 and 13 respectively.

Up Next:

UNC will stay in Hawaii throughout most of next week as the Tar Heels are participating in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational–a three-game tournament that runs from Monday through Wednesday. They’ll begin play at 11 p.m. Monday night against host Chaminade.

Game Notes:

Bradley’s four straight games with double figures in scoring are the most to start a UNC career since Brandan Wright did it in the first 18 games in 2006-07.
UNC shot 63.3 percent from the floor in the second half, its highest percentage in any half this year. That followed a first half in which the Tar Heels shot a season-low for any half at 35.1 percent.
Nate Britt’s 13 points–on 5 of 9 shooting from the floor and 3 of 5 from three-point range–were a season high. It was his 16th time in double figures as a Tar Heel and his first since he had 10 against Miami on Feb. 20, 2016.

FULL BOX SCORE

No. 5 UNC Overcomes Slow Start, Tops Hawaii on the Road

On Air Now: 97.9 FM