The North Carolina Tar Heels entered Saturday’s game at Madison Square Garden with a golden opportunity to earn a big non-conference win against UCLA for their NCAA Tournament resume.
And while Saturday’s game started with UNC falling behind in the first half and then by 14 in the second half, it ended differently than other games.
UNC was able to close this game out, coming back from 16 points down in the second half to get the 76-74 win. And it was a pair of New York natives that got the job done.
R.J. Davis and Ian Jackson led North Carolina’s comeback in the second half as the Tar Heels turned it on at the right time. Trailing by 14 with 10:28 left, Drake Powell hit a big three-pointer to cut it to 61-50. From there, Jackson and Davis helped power the Tar Heels to within a basket a few times before they took the lead late.
After Seth Trimble missed a three-pointer, Jalen Washington grabbed the board and put it back to tie it at 72. UCLA got two free throws to go ahead 74-72 and after Davis made one of two free throws, the Bruins had the chance to seal it. But a Dylan Andrews turnover on a nice play by Trimble gave UNC life and Davis made two free throws to go ahead 75-74.
HEELS WIN.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/AFDxQAiEq5
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) December 21, 2024
Another defensive stop including a key rebound by Elliot Cadeau with .1 sealed the deal for the Tar Heels.
The Tar Heels closed it out by holding UCLA without a field goal for the final 3:45 of the game.
Jackson led UNC with 24 points including 8-of-13 shooting from the field while Davis had 17 points in the win. Trimble added 12 points as well.
The win moves UNC to 7-5 on the year and is their first win over a AP Top 25 program this season. They now have two quad 1 wins as they head into their non-conference finale with Campbell a week from Sunday.
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