North Carolina freshman Ian Jackson, playing in his hometown, poured in a season-high 24 points and RJ Davis made the go-ahead free throw as the Tar Heels rallied past No. 18 UCLA to win 76-74 on Saturday afternoon at the CBS Sports Classic in New York City.
North Carolina (7-5) overcame a 16-point deficit and led just twice – after the game’s first basket and after Davis’s free throw with 13 seconds left – to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time in five tries this season.
Davis finished with 17 points, while Seth Trimble had 12 points and helped force a key turnover in the final minute.
Tyler Bilodeau racked up a season-high 26 points, Sebastian Mack scored 22 and Skyy Clark had nine points and four assists for the Bruins (10-2).
Mack’s potential winning shot in the final seconds was off the mark before Drake Powell secured the rebound for the Tar Heels and made a free throw to seal the win. UCLA was 13-for-22 on free throws, while North Carolina hit 24 of 35 of its attempts at the line.
The Tar Heels trailed 59-43 with 12:50 remaining but pulled within 66-65 to set up a tussle over the last 5 1/2 minutes.
North Carolina pulled even at 72 with 1:32 left on Jalen Washington’s second-chance layup after Bilodeau split a pair of free throws on the Bruins’ previous possession.
Mack sank two foul shots to put UCLA back ahead, and the Tar Heels still trailed 74-73 after Davis went 1-of-2 at the stripe with 22 seconds to go.
Following a timeout, the Bruins committed a turnover that Davis eventually converted into the tying and go-ahead free throws.
Bilodeau had 24 points with more than 12 minutes left but was limited down the stretch after picking up his fourth foul with 11:45 to go. He scored UCLA’s first 11 points to help the Bruins hold an early two-point lead.
The game was tied at 13-all before UCLA rolled out to a 31-18 edge. A 9-0 run put the Tar Heels back on track.
Bilodeau and Mack combined to make their first five 3-point attempts. North Carolina’s 11 turnovers and 37.5 percent shooting from the field were troublesome in the first half, which ended with UCLA holding a 40-32 lead.
–Field Level Media
