PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Alex Barlow scored 17 points, Kelan Martin came off the bench to score 17 more and Butler hung on to upset No. 5 North Carolina 74-66 on Wednesday in the opening game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Roosevelt Jones scored 12 for the Bulldogs (4-0), who topped the Tar Heels in an early-season tournament for the second time in as many meetings. Butler beat North Carolina at the Maui Invitational in 2012, blowing the game open in the first half of that meeting.
A 16-4 run over a 5½-minute second-half stretch was the key for Butler this time, turning a 43-41 lead into a 59-45 cushion.
Marcus Paige scored 18 for North Carolina (3-1), which allowed 29 offensive rebounds — matching the most by the Tar Heels under coach Roy Williams. Brice Johnson added 11 and Kennedy Meeks blocked five shots.
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