National Basketball Association
North Carolina 104, Chaminade 61
When: 11:30 PM ET, Monday, November 21, 2016
Where: Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Hawaii
Officials:
# Donnie Eppler, # Chris Rastatter, # Bob Staffen
Attendance:
2400
By The Sports Xchange
Isaiah Hicks scored 22 points and Kennedy Meeks recorded a double-double, helping high-flying North Carolina soar past Chaminade 104-61 in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday night at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Meeks had 20 points and 10 rebounds for fourth-ranked North Carolina (5-0), which is unbeaten after five games for the first time since 2011-12. Tony Bradley had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Rohndell Goodwin scored 18 points for tournament host Chaminade (2-2), a Division II team from the Pacific West Conference that famously upset top-ranked Virginia in 1982.
North Carolina is making its seventh appearance in the Maui Invitational. The Tar Heels won the event in 1999, 2004 and 2008. North Carolina, Connecticut and Oklahoma State are on one side of the bracket. Georgetown, No. 13 Oregon, Tennessee and No. 16 Wisconsin are on the other side.
The Tar Heels will play Oklahoma State in Tuesday's semifinals. Georgetown, which upset Oregon on Monday, will meet Wisconsin in the other semifinal.
North Carolina scored the first seven points and never trailed against Chaminade, but the Silverswords didn't go down without a fight. They got within one on a 3-pointer by Kuany Kuany, fell behind by nine and battled back once more, cutting North Carolina's lead to 28-24 on a 3-pointer by Kiran Shastri.
"We knew they were going to compete," Meeks said. "I know from watching this tournament for many years. I know that Chaminade has done a tremendous job of competing with those big teams, and they fought for a long time."
The Tar Heels later staged an 11-2 run to go up 44-31 on a layup by Meeks. They led 50-34 at the break and continued to pull away in the second half, imposing their superior size, skill and athleticism to build up a big lead.
"We're just too big for them," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "They really fought like crazy."
The Tar Heels took a 59-38 lead on a jumper by Hicks, went up by 25 on a dunk by Bradley and extended the lead to 30 on the second of two free throws by Seventh Woods.
North Carolina shot 57.8 percent from the field and made 7 of 20 from 3-point range. Meeks was exceptionally efficient, making all seven of his field-goal attempts.
The Tar Heels established a season high in scoring after averaging 92 points in their first four games. They also amassed a huge 52-23 rebounding advantage. All five starters and three reserves grabbed at least three rebounds.
Chaminade shot 36.2 percent and made 10 of 28 from beyond the arc. The Silverswords committed 17 turnovers.
"It's pretty obvious to everybody (that) the size and the strength was the overwhelming factor of the game," Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird said. "They had (17) offensive rebounds. And what did we have? A total of 23 rebounds. It doesn't take a coach or a rocket scientist to figure that out."
NOTES: North Carolina has scored 83 or more points in each of its first five games for the first time since Roy Williams' first year as head coach in 2003-04. ... Tar Heels G Brandon Robinson received stitches after taking an elbow to the face late in the first period. He returned to the game in the second half and finished with five points. ... North Carolina has the second-most difficult nonconference schedule in the nation behind Kansas, according to ESPN. The Tar Heels will play at least six NCAA Tournament teams and three NIT teams from a year ago. ... Tournament host Chaminade, the only Division II team that competes in the Maui Invitational, is 7-79 all-time in the event.
Top Game Performances
| North Carolina |
|
Chaminade |
|
Isaiah Hicks 22 |
Scoring |
Rohndell Goodwin 18 |
|
Joel Berry II 4 |
Assists |
Sam Daly 2 |
|
Kennedy Meeks 10 |
Rebounds |
Austin Pope 5 |
|
Isaiah Hicks 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Austin Pope 5 |
|
Joel Berry II 4 |
Steals |
Sam Daly 2 |
|
Brandon Robinson 2 |
Blocks |
Kiran Shastri 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| North Carolina
|
104 |
57.8 |
7-20 |
23-34 |
18 |
47 |
4 |
12 |
13 |
| Chaminade |
61 |
36.2 |
10-28 |
9-14 |
7 |
19 |
1 |
6 |
17 |
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