NEW YORK – As each team went for the smallest lead, UCLA trying to hold while North Carolina tried 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 prevent a complete collapse, the Bruins put the ball in the hands of their most fearless player. Sebastian Mack couldn’t give his team the desired result.

Mack fended off a defender before his short turnaround jumper missed with less than a second left, sealing No. 18 UCLA’s 76-74 loss in a CBS Sports Classic game at Madison Square Garden that virtually defeated the Bruins had to give up after gaining a 16-point lead midway through the second half.

UCLA’s Dylan Andrews put North Carolina in position to move ahead and end the Bruins’ nine-game winning streak after he dropped an inbounds pass out of bounds for a turnover with 21 seconds left and gave the Tar Heels one We were one point behind.

North Carolina’s RJ Davis drove and was fouled, sending him to the free throw line where he made the shots that gave the Tar Heels a 75-74 lead with 13.6 seconds left.

Trailing by 16 points midway through the second half, the Tar Heels stormed back after UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench. When he returned, North Carolina was only three points behind.

Fouls, sloppy play and missed free throws were a big culprit for the Bruins (10-2). Skyy Clark missed the front end in two one-and-one situations and Bilodeau missed three of four attempts in the final minutes.

Bilodeau finished with 26 points, most of them in the first 30 minutes of the game.

Ian Jackson scored 24 points off the bench for North Carolina (7-5), which has won seven straight games in this series.

UCLA’s Sebastian Mack shoots in the first half against North Carolina on Saturday.

(Frank Franklin II/Associated Press)

The Bruins looked like they were on the verge of a resounding victory when Bilodeau made a three-pointer – his fifth of the game in as many attempts – to give his team a 59-43 lead. But soon the whistle blew, Bilodeau was called for his fourth foul and the momentum changed dramatically.

The start of the second half was delayed by several minutes because some vomit had to be cleaned up on the sidelines. Both teams went back through a layup line during the delay, similar to pregame drills.

Twelve seconds into the second half, things got even worse for the Bruins when Eric Dailey Jr. picked up his third foul and went to the bench, never to return.

It looked like Bilodeau would go one-for-five early in the game, as the junior forward scored all of UCLA’s points in the first 5½ minutes. After he made two three-pointers, a turnaround jumper where he was fouled and a jumper, the scoreboard could have read Bilodeau 11, Tar Heels 9.

A heavy dose of Mack late in the first half helped the Bruins gain a much larger lead. Mack’s consecutive three-pointers increased UCLA’s lead to 31-18, and he threw two nice passes – including a perfect lob – to William Kyle III for dunks.

UCLA’s 40-32 halftime cushion wasn’t any greater because the Bruins repeatedly sent North Carolina to the free throw line – leading to the Tar Heels making 10 of 16 free throws – and ended the half with 10 turnovers to North Carolina’s 11 .

There was even more joy for the Bruins.