NCAA BASKETBALL: Dunk party fuels No. 4 Arkansas' one-sided win over Hawaii

PORTLAND, Ore. – Darius Acuff Jr. scored 24 points with seven assists, and Meleek Thomas added 21 points as fourth-seeded Arkansas dominated 13th-seeded Hawaii 97-78 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament West Region on Thursday.

Trevon Brazile contributed 19 points, while Malique Ewin added 16 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists for the Razorbacks (27-8), who have now won six straight games. Thomas also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists, and Billy Richmond III added 10 points and seven rebounds. Arkansas shot 54.2% from the field (39 of 72), including 11 highlight-reel dunks and 17 of 22 layups.

The Razorbacks set the tone early, leading 20-4 just seven minutes into the game and holding a lead as large as 23 points. Dre Bullock led Hawaii with 21 points and eight rebounds, Isaac Johnson scored 15, and Isaac Finlinson added 12. Isaiah Kerr finished with 11 points and five assists for the Rainbow Warriors (24-9).

Arkansas will face 12th-seeded High Point in the second round on Saturday. High Point upset Wisconsin 83-82 on Chase Johnston's layup with 11 seconds remaining.

Ewin, starting in place of Nick Pringle who missed the game for undisclosed reasons, recorded a season-high in assists and was one rebound shy of his season best. Thomas briefly left the game with an injury but returned five minutes later.

Acuff, the SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, is the only Division I player averaging at least 20 points and six assists per game. He scored five points, including a 3-pointer during an 11-0 Arkansas run to start the game. Thomas and Brazile helped push the lead to 26-7 early, while the Rainbow Warriors struggled, missing 11 of their first 13 shots. Ewin, Brazile, and Richmond all had dunks in the final minutes of the first half, giving Arkansas a 54-36 halftime lead.

In the second half, Acuff’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 73-53 with 12:17 remaining, and Hawaii never got closer than 15 points. -Jack Magruder, Field Level Media/Reuters