No. 5 North Carolina Rout No. 22 UCLA, 78-56, At Battle 4 Atlantis
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) -- Marcus Paige scored 21 points and handed out five assists, Justin Jackson scored 12 points and No. 5 North Carolina had little trouble on the way to beating No. 22 UCLA 78-56 on Thursday night in the consolation round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Isaiah Hicks and J.P. Tokoto each scored 10 points for the Tar Heels (4-1), who closed the first half on a 32-11 run and put the game absolutely away with a 15-0 second-half run.
Paige had back-to-back 3-pointers to get that second run going, as North Carolina turned a nine-point edge into a 62-38 lead with 9:12 left.
Norman Powell scored 15 points for UCLA (4-2), which dropped its second straight. Kevon Looney scored 11 points and Bryce Alford finished with 10 points for the Bruins.
It was a matchup of storied programs. Between them, North Carolina and UCLA have 35 Final Four appearances and 16 national championships -- though both saw their chances of returning from the Bahamas with a title vanish with losses in Thursday's quarterfinals.
