LAS VEGAS _ North Carolina appeared to be headed to its second loss of the season after the first 20 minutes of its game against No. 17 UCLA on Friday in the Las Vegas Invitational.
The Bruins were having their way with the Tar Heels, shooting 52 percent from the floor in the first half. UNC was playing much like it did Thursday in a 92-89 loss to Texas, having trouble defending.
But in the second half, the seventh-ranked Tar Heels turned up the pressure, knocked down some timely shots and beat the Bruins, 94-78.
It is UNC's first win over a ranked opponent this season.
UNC freshman guard Coby White, who scored 33 points against Texas, picked up where he left off. He had 19 points and eight assists on Friday. He was 6-for-11 from the floor and did not play much in the second half because of foul trouble.
UNC senior forward Luke Maye had 16 points and eight rebounds. Senior wing Kenny Williams added 15 points.
While the Las Vegas Invitational was UNC's first real test, the schedule does not get any easier. UNC will face No. 9 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Wednesday, but will do it coming off a victory.
UCLA hit its first seven shots of the game and led 15-9 through the game's first five minutes. The Bruins continued to shoot well, and led throughout first half.
Meanwhile, seniors Cam Johnson and Maye, struggled shooting. They shot a combined 2-for-11 from the floor in the game's first 20 minutes.
Johnson, however, ended the first half with a 3-pointer to cut UCLA's lead to five points before halftime.
In the second half, he picked up where he left off. He knocked down a 3-pointer, scored a layup, picked up a steal and scored another layup on three consecutive possessions to tie the score at 48 with 18:07 left in the game.
That seemed to give UNC confidence. The two teams battled back and forth for the next five minutes, and UCLA led by two points with about 13 minutes left to play.
Over the next five minutes though, UNC ramped up its defensive pressure. The Tar Heels forced the Bruins into tough shots and went on a 17-2 run, to take a 76-64 lead with a little more than eight minutes remaining.
After that, UCLA never got closer than seven points.
