NEW YORK — With each team seeking the slightest edge, UCLA trying to hold on while North Carolina attempted to complete a massive comeback, it wasn’t about how much blue was in their blood but how much ice was in their veins.
Needing a basket to avoid total collapse, the Bruins put the ball in the hands of their most fearless player. Sebastian Mack could not give his team the ending it wanted.
Mack backed down a defender before his short turnaround jumper was off the mark with less than a second to go, sealing No. 18 UCLA’s 76-74 loss in a CBS Sports Classic game at Madison Square Garden the Bruins practically gave away after building a 16-point lead midway through the second half.