CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Nearly 21,000 fans came to the Dean Smith Center hoping to see North Carolina coach Roy Williams earn his 879th career victory, tying him with Smith for the most in school history and the fourth most in NCAA history. Yale very nearly spoiled the celebration. The Bulldogs gave the Tar Heels all they could handle before dropping a 70-67 decision before a packed house.
 
Azar Swain's three-pointer as time expired wouldn't fall, resulting in a big exhale from the Dean Dome crowd.
 
"It was a great college basketball game," said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "I'm really proud of my guys. There are no moral victories, but they played hard."
 
Swain, who twisted his ankle in practice on Sunday, paced Yale with 21 points, while Jordan Bruner added 17 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.
 
Brandon Robinson, who entered the night averaging 9.1 points, scored a career-high 20 to pace the Tar Heels. He made five of UNC's six three-pointers.
 
The loss snapped the Bulldogs' seven-game winning streak.
 
Yale raced out to an early 11-2 lead, but North Carolina chipped away and had a 32-28 advantage at halftime.
 
The Bulldogs scored the first seven points of the second half to regain the lead, but the Tar Heels responded with a 14-2 run.
 
North Carolina (8-5) had its biggest lead, 52-39, when Justin Pierce scored on a put back with 9:24 left. Yale, though, rallied. Eric Monroe's three-point play cut the deficit to three with nine seconds remaining. UNC's Jeremiah Francis then missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Bulldogs the chance to tie.
 
The Tar Heels' big front line controlled the boards UNC outrebounded Yale 48-34.
 
"Our biggest problem tonight was rebounding the ball," Jones said. "They had 15 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points and that was the big difference in the game. We didn't do a good enough job of putting bodies on guys."
 
Bruner's 15 rebounds did match his career high and all 15 came at the defensive end.
 
"I was just trying to be aggressive," said Bruner, who leads the Ivy League in rebounding. "I expect to get every defensive rebound."
 
Paul Atkinson scored 10 points, Monroe had eight to go along with four assists and Matthue Cotton contributed seven points off the bench.
 
Yale, who again received a vote in this week's Associated Press top-25 poll, falls to 10-4 on the season. The four losses – to San Francisco, Oklahoma State, Penn State and North Carolina – have come by a combined 17 points.
 
The Bulldogs are now off until hosting Johnson & Wales on Jan. 12 at Lee Amphitheater. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.