Hawaii wanted to do more than simply go the distance with powerhouse North Carolina.

And for about 30 minutes, the threat of an upset was very much in the air of an electric, sold-out Stan Sheriff Center on Friday. UH doggedly hugged UNC tight to prevent any knockout blows.

Finally, it was too much to ask. The No. 5 Tar Heels shook the Rainbow Warriors loose and won by decision, an 83-68 victory over the hosts.

“We hung in there, so to speak,” said UH wing Noah Allen, who scored a game-high 22 points. “But that wasn’t the goal. With every game, you want to win. We understood the task was daunting, but I thought we had a game plan. We just didn’t execute.”

UNC’s more talented, more physical, more everything front line was the difference. The Heels, who returned six of their top eight players from the national championship game in April, doubled up the ’Bows on the glass, 46-23, and did most of their damage on putbacks.

The Heels (4-0), who flew direct 131⁄2 hours on a charter from North Carolina on Wednesday night, were perhaps a little groggy in turning in season lows in points and shooting. They play three games in the Maui Invitational next week.

“Just gotta be happy we’re out of there with a W,” Carolina’s Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams said.

It was a three-point game on Gibson Johnson’s bank shot with 16:31 to play.

Then, finally, the Heels asserted themselves, going on a 12-2 run and forcing a UH timeout with 13:25 left.

Allen canned a step-back 3 with 10:45 left, getting UH back within nine. UH point guard Sheriff Drammeh took a charge on his heralded counterpart, Joel Berry II, and canned a 3. After a Kennedy Meeks basket inside, Drammeh hit two at the line to keep it within single digits for the last time, 66-58 with 5:56 left.

Nate Britt hit a 3, Berry pulled up for his first field goal of the game (1-for-9) with 5:10 left, and Justin Jackson followed with a triple to effectively put the game away and Carolina improved to 5-0 all-time against Hawaii (2-2).

Ganot, UH’s second-year head coach, said this game was on the back of his mind periodically since it was officially announced prior to the 2015-16 season. It was UH’s third sellout in two years (9,211 through the turnstiles).

“I know the historical magnitude of the opportunity that could’ve presented itself,” Ganot said.

It was clear from the outset, when Allen scored the first bucket of the game, that UH’s young team wasn’t content simply to invite the Heels in for pleasantries.

“We don’t play this game to hang around,” Ganot said. “There’s a job to do. We didn’t get it done.”

The Heels weren’t crisp from the perimeter, but they didn’t have to be. They snatched 19 offensive rebounds — eight by 6-foot-11 freshman Tony Bradley — and punished much smaller UH with putbacks.

The difference in the game was basically in second-chance points, which UNC won 28-8. UH knew coming in it would have to box out at all costs and gang rebound.

“It’s all about toughness. We got outhustled,” Drammeh said.

Forward Jack Purchase scored 14 points and Drammeh 13 in the loss.

UH has history of making things tough for teams stopping over on their way to the Maui Invitational. And for much of Friday’s contest, things were downright difficult for the 2016 national runners-up.

Overall, the Rainbows, a turnover-prone team, actually did a pretty good job taking care of the ball against a team that’s known for forcing plenty of giveaways. They committed 14, two fewer than Carolina.

Reserve guard Brocke Stepteau hit consecutive 3s to touch off a huge roar, serving notice UH was in it, within 17-16.

It was an eight-point game at halftime, and that required a 5-0 spurt by the Heels going into the break.

For UNC, it was its first appearance in the building since it was known as the Special Events Arena in 1994. Williams was back for the first time since his No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks lost to UH in the championship game of the 1997 Rainbow Classic.

Five Heels scored in double figures, led by Isaiah Hicks’ 16, to ensure Williams would not go down here again.

Williams, who credited Allen with a strong performance, expressed annoyance with that of his own team’s outing. He said it didn’t have to do with jet lag.

“No, it was just stupidity,” he said. “If you can’t freaking guard the basketball it’s hard to play.

“Getting this (game) and then having another 48 hours before we play again will be good for our legs. But tomorrow’s practice is not going to be good for their legs.”