Kevin McCullar Jr. posted a second-straight triple- double, and big man Hunter Dickinson’s talents were on full display Monday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

But Kansas’ most inspirational performance came from KJ Adams as the Jayhawks pounded host Chaminade 83-56 in the first round of the Allstate Maui Invitational.

Adams, whose mother, Yvonne, died of cancer last week, made it to Hawaii a few hours before tip-off, and in time to play 26 productive minutes, scoring eight points and dealing out four assists.

“It meant a lot,” McCullar said. “He’s a guy I look up to. That’s my brother, and I can’t imagine what he’s feeling, but we’re just trying to be there for him right now.”

The Silverswords were also inspired by others dealing with tragedy. The Maui Invitational is on Oahu this year because of the Aug. 8 wildfires on Maui that took at least 100 lives and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings.

“Ever since the fires happened, you know, I have felt a little bit of a responsibility of trying to bring awareness to the situation over there,” said Eric Bovaird, coach of Chaminade, which is the host school of the tournament. “There’s still people that need help and so forth. So trying to bring as much awareness as possible. In a tournament of this magnitude it can help do that.”

KU (4-0) meets Marquette (4-0) in a semifinal today. Chaminade (1-3) plays UCLA (3-1) in the consolation bracket.

Attendance for Monday’s first two games was listed at 4,838. Similar sized crowds attended the later games.

Dickinson, the Jayhawks’ 7-foot-2 transfer from Michigan, scored 15 of his season- high 31 points in the first half, as Kansas led 39-27 at halftime. He also had a game-high 11 rebounds.

“Coach (Bill Self) obviously has a pedigree of running some pretty good plays for his big men,” Dickinson said. “But it’s really the guys out there being so unselfish, willing to pass me the ball when I’m open and stuff like that.”

Chaminade did not score from the floor in the final 2:34 before the break.

The Silverswords battled back early in the second half, and hung around in the 10- to 12-point-deficit range longer than most expected they would against the consensus No. 1 team in the country. The ’Swords made just six of 31 3-point shots.

Also, when Dickinson wasn’t dominating for KU, guard McCullar did. He scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and handed out 10 assists.

“He’s playing at a really high level,” Self said. “To me, he’s as good an all-around basketball player as there is in the country when you include what he does when we’re on the defensive end.”

Wyatt Lowell, Jamir Thomas and Ross Reeves led the Silverswords with 12 points apiece.

“Honestly, we’re super grateful for the opportunity to play in front of all these fans, and we’re also in remembrance of the people in Maui. That’s what this is for. So we’re praying for them,” Lowell said. “But what a fun opportunity. Not very often you get to play the No. 1 team in the country and it’s just cool for us as team, something that we’ll always remember.

Kansas jumped to an 11-4 lead, forcing a Chaminade timeout at the 15:31 mark.

Chaminade closed it to 18-9 with Brycen Shackelford’s shotclock-beating layup, but Dickinson came right back with a 3-pointer.

Dickinson made his presence felt early and often, especially in the low post.

The ‘Swords closed to 26-21 on when Jessiya Villa fed Scott Ator for a bucket after a steal.

But Kansas again responded immediately, feeding Hutchinson for an easy banker in the low post, and KU outscored Chaminade 13-5 the rest of the half.

The ‘Swords scored the first four points of the second half, but the Jayhawks regained control and forced a Chaminade timeout with 17:26 left after Dickinson slammed off a fastbreak to make it 45-32.

Another Dickinson dunk with 7:43 left gave him 25 points and elevated Kansas’ lead to 65-47.