HONOLULU -- A defensive switch at halftime of a tied game proved the difference Friday night, propelling No. 6 Miami to a 75-57 victory over Hawaii in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

With 16 points apiece from Dewan Huell and Ja'Quan Newton, the Hurricanes (10-0) broke open a close game midway through the second half and pulled away from the Rainbows (7-3), but it was a defensive change in the second half that propelled Miami into Saturday's second semifinal against New Mexico State (10-2), a 69-68 winner over Davidson.

"I thought our defense in the first half was OK," Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga said. "But I thought Hawaii was terrific. They hit the open man -- the guy hit the shot every time.

"In the second half we made an adjustment. We switched the ball screen. That took away some of their easy threes, and then we were able to get some stops and get to the open court and score before the defense set."

Miami used its size advantage to outscore the Rainbows 44-20 in the paint. A rapid-fire 9-0 burst from 13:13 to 10:50 of the second half gave the Hurricanes a 57-44 advantage and, for practical purposes, settled the issue. Guard DJ Vasiljevic had two 3-pointers during the decisive stretch, accounting for all his points.

As Hawaii coach Eran Ganot put it, "(Miami) dictated the play in the second half -- completely. Give 'em credit. They showed why they're a good team. They're balanced. I was disappointed in our defensive effort in the second half. They made some adjustments to take us out of our offensive rhythm that unfortunately carried over to our defensive end.

"I'm disappointed, if anything, with the way we unraveled ... That's something we've got to learn and grow through."

Scoring easily on the inside, Miami raced to an early 10-2 advantage only to watch the Rainbows mount an 11-2 run on the strength of their outside shooting. Hawaii led 18-14 with 10:33 left in the half after a Jack Purchase 3-pointer and a dunk from Ido Flaisher.

Miami finished off a 5-0 run with a Lawrence dunk at 8:44, and from that point on, neither team led by more than four points before the break. They left the court at halftime tied at 33 after Sheriff Drammeh drained a jumper from 18 feet five seconds before the break.

Drammeh, who scored a game-high 17 points, paced the Rainbows with 12 in the first half. Anthony Lawrence II had nine to lead the Hurricanes and finished with 11 for the game. Miami held a 22-10 first-half advantage in the paint, but Hawaii countered with 5-of-13 shooting from long range to 1 of 7 from distance for the Canes.

Hawaii led for the last time at 38-37 on Gibson Johnson's reverse layup with 17:43 left, but Bruce Brown Jr. tied it with a free throw, and Newton hit a jumper to put the Hurricanes ahead for good at 40-38.

"In the first half, we got ahead 10-2, and they immediately came back with a couple of loose balls that they scored on," Larranaga said. "In the second half, we did a much better job of defending them, scoring in the open court and then taking our time and getting the ball inside."

NOTES: Miami remains one of four unbeaten teams in Division I, along with Villanova, Arizona State and TCU. All four teams posted victories Friday. ... Hawaii, which fell to 7-2 at home, will meet Davidson in the second losers-bracket game Saturday. It will be the first contest between the teams. ... Miami improved to 3-0 on the road; the Hurricanes were 4-6 in road games last year.