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HONOLULU -- North Carolina coach Roy Williams did not mince words after his fifth-ranked Tar Heels struggled in the first half before pulling out their latest win.Isaiah Hicks scored 10 of his 16 points after halftime to lead five players in double-figures as North Carolina (4-0) beat Hawaii 83-68 Friday night.Its one of the ugliest games Ive ever coached in my entire life, Williams said, but we made some shots during a stretch in the second half that gave us the lead.North Carolina never trailed outside of the opening minutes and held a 35-27 lead at halftime despite shooting just 35.1 percent from the field. The Tar Heels had shot better than 50 percent from the field in each of their first three games.Hicks said Williams message to the team at halftime emphasized defense.He said that shots were going to fall, but weve got to be better on the defensive end, continue to rebound, get to the board and try to get them out of what they do early on, said Hicks, who shot 7 of 8 from the field.Kennedy Meeks and Nate Britt had 13 points apiece. Justin Jackson scored 11 and Tony Bradley contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end, off the bench.He really gave us a lift, Hicks said of Bradley, a freshman center. Thats what really got us through the game, especially Tony just getting to the boards, getting the rebounds and second-chance shots.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 and finished with a 46-23 rebounding edge.Their size created some issues, but we cant lean on that, Rainbow Warriors coach Eran Ganot said. Theyre bigger than us, theyre stronger than us -- those are facts -- but what we need to focus more on is how to get it done.Hawaii pulled to 40-37 on Jack Purchases banker with 16:27 left, but North Carolina answered with a 12-2 run that that was capped by a 3-pointer by Kenny Williams from the right wing that stretched its lead back to 64-49.Noah Allen, a UCLA transfer, led Hawaii with 22 points. Jack Purchase added 14 and Sheriff Drammeh 13 for the Rainbow Warriors (2-2).BIG PICTURENorth 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.Its not a concern; Its a good thing, Williams said of Berrys night. Ive never seen him miss and go one-for-nine. Then again, in the first half our starting one, two and three men were 1 for 16 and thats not good.Hawaii: The young Rainbow Warriors have only three active players back from last seasons 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.KEY NUMBERSNorth Carolina took advantage of its size against the smaller Rainbow Warriors by grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and held a distinct edge in second chance points, 28-8. Hawaii had nine turnovers in the first half, but finished two below its season average of 16 for the game.We cut down the turnovers, but we made them at critical times. We just couldnt get over that hump because we couldnt execute at key points, Ganot said.UP NEXTNorth 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).Custom Chicago White Sox Jerseys . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Chicago White Sox Shirts . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Stitched White Sox Jerseys . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. White Sox Jerseys China . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman.Those stories and rumors about Auburn coach Gus Malzahn being on the hot seat early in a season seem much more like hot air these days.Now, Malzahns name is on a list of 18 on the midseason watch list for the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.Thats because the Tigers (6-2, 4-1 SEC) find themselves very much in contention in the SEC race and will take a five-game winning streak and No. 11 national ranking into their home game against Vanderbilt Saturday. Kickoff is at noon ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium with ESPN handling the broadcast.With only the Commodores (4-4, 1/3 SEC), struggling Georgia (4-4, 2-4 SEC) and FCS foe Alabama A&M the next three weeks, the Tigers look to be headed for a showdown with No. 1 unbeaten Alabama in an Iron Bowl tilt on Nov. 26. That contest could have a West Division title and berth in the SEC Championship game on the line, depending on how Texas A&M (7-1, 4-1 SEC) and LSU (5-2, 3-1) fare in their remaining games.A resurgent running game has been a big factor in Auburns rebound.Since managing to rush for only 154 yards in a win over LSU, Auburn has gone for 410 against Louisiana-Monroe, 228 against Mississippi State, 543 (yes, 543) against Arkansas, and 307 last week against Ole Miss.Thats despite the fact that sophomore running back Kerryon Johnson, the starter, was out for all of one game and most of another with an ankle issue. Sophomore Kamryn Pettway simply stepped up and more than filled the gap, rushing for 169 yards against Mississippi State, 192 against Arkansas and 236 against the Rebels.This stretch comes on the heels of going the previous season without a carry in an H-back role.With projected starter Jovon Robinson dismissed before the season, the Tigers needed someone to step in at running back and give Johnson some backup. Running backs coach Tim Horton told offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee he was confident Pettway was the one for the job. Pettway has more than exceeded expectations.I dont think Tim or any of us knew hed get on this teear, Lashlee said, but he just done a good job of going downhill.ddddddddddddhe success of the running game has kept the pressure off Auburn sophomore quarterback Sean White, and White has responded. He completed 15 of 22 passes for a season-high 247 yards against the Rebels.Sean White is coming into his own, Malzahn said. You can tell his confidence. He made some throws tonight under pressure, one to Stanton Truitt, I dont know how many people could have made. It was a great play.Vanderbilt, too, has experienced quite the resurgence recently.The Commodores have won their last two games (17-16 over Georgia, 35-17 over Tennessee State) and have put themselves in contention for a postseason spot, just two wins short of bowl eligibility. After the trip to Auburn, the Commodores finish at Missouri and at home against Ole Miss and Tennessee.I like where this team is, Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said as the Commodores headed into their bye last week.Even more encouraging: the Commodores showed some life in their offense in their most recent outing, rushing for 358 yards and passing for another 143 for a season-high 501 yards of total offense in the win over Tennessee State.It was only the second time this season that the Commodores have outgained an opponent, and they lost that other encounter, 13-6 to Florida.Running backs Ralph Webb (125 yards on nine carries) and Khari Blasingame (100 on 14 runs with three for touchdowns) had big days against Tennessee State.Those offensive linemen, they really did a good job moving people, Blasingame said. Those holes were huge. You could have put a truck through those things.Against Auburn, however, the Commodores will be up against one of the leagues top run defenses. Since giving up 231 yards to Texas A&M and 220 to LSU in back-to-back games, Auburn has yielded only 233 rushing yards total in its last three games. ' ' '