Although 10 UNC basketball players scored in the No. 10-ranked Tar Heels’ 87-69 road win over the previously unbeaten Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu on Friday night — early Saturday morning on the East Coast — the trio of starting guards and freshman backcourt reserve Ian Jackson accounted for over two-thirds of the squad’s points.
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Plus, despite the Tar Heels’ 40-26 deficit in the rebounding department, the perimeter talents’ efficient efforts set the tone for a promising Tar Heel performance that included a season-low five committed turnovers and a 19-1 fastbreak advantage.
Defending ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis tallied a team-high 18 points, leapfrogging 1982 UNC basketball national champion Sam Perkins at No. 4 on the program’s all-time scoring list in the process. The graduate guard shot 6-for-14 from the field, 2-for-6 from three, and 4-for-5 at the charity stripe, adding three rebounds and four assists across his game-high 34 minutes of action.
Despite limited playing time due to early foul trouble, sophomore floor general Elliot Cadeau dazzled to the tune of 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field and a 3-for-3 clip at the foul line. He also chipped in four assists and two steals.
Breakout junior Seth Trimble notched his fourth double-digit scoring outing in as many contests this season, totaling 13 points, three boards, four dimes, one block and two steals. He knocked down his lone 3-point attempt, and he missed only one of his seven free throws.
And Jackson, returning from a lower leg injury that kept him out of commission for the 107-55 UNC basketball home win over American last Friday night, delivered 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench while grabbing two rebounds, dishing out two assists, and recording one takeaway.
Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels (3-1, 0-0 ACC) will now get ready to face the Dayton Flyers (5-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10) in the first round of the Maui Invitational at 11:30 p.m. ET Monday (ESPN2).
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