LAHAINA, Hawaii — In a thrilling matchup during the Maui Invitational on Monday night, RJ Davis led No. 10 North Carolina to a stunning comeback victory over Dayton, scoring 30 points while teammate Seth Trimble contributed 27 points. The Tar Heels, initially down by as much as 21 points, rallied to finish the game 92-90, showcasing their resilience and determination.
The Tar Heels (4-1) turned the tide in the second half, outpacing the Flyers 59-39. Their pivotal moment came from Drake Powell, who sunk a crucial 3-pointer from the corner, giving North Carolina an 88-87 lead with just 1:13 left on the clock. After halftime, Davis was particularly electric, netting 20 points and hitting four 3-pointers. The accomplished guard also excelled at the free-throw line, converting 10 of his 11 attempts, alongside contributing seven rebounds and five assists. Trimble’s performance included shooting 10 for 14 from the field, pulling down 10 rebounds, while Elliot Cadeau added 10 points to the scoreboard.
On the other side, Nate Santos led Dayton (5-1) with 15 points at a point when the Flyers were ahead 51-33 at the break. Despite their initial advantage, Dayton struggled to maintain control in the second half, where North Carolina’s impressive free-throw shooting played a critical role in their comeback.
Notably, while the Flyers leveraged a significant bench point advantage of 28-4 by halftime—finishing with a 33-13 lead in that category for the game—they were unable to adequately counter North Carolina’s success at the charity stripe, where the Tar Heels went 27 of 34.
In a crucial sequence late in the game, Santos hit a 3-pointer that seemed to tie the game at 90, but a video review overturned the basket to a 2-pointer due to a foot on the line, bringing Dayton within one point. Davis then capitalized with two free throws with only 4.3 seconds left, pushing the score to 92-89, leaving Dayton with limited time to respond.
A striking statistic from the match highlighted that while Dayton scored 19 points off of 12 North Carolina turnovers in the first half, they managed just two points from three turnovers in the second half, showing a stark contrast in productivity.
Looking ahead, North Carolina will face off against No. 4 Auburn in the semifinals scheduled for Tuesday, while Dayton gears up to compete against No. 5 Iowa State.