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No. 9 North Carolina takes down No. 2 Maryland at home

Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

In his season debut after suffering a broken bone in his non-shooting hand, Marcus Paige led ninth-ranked North Carolina to an 89-81 victory over second-ranked Maryland.

This was the Melo Trimble versus Paige show in the best individual battle of the young season. But it was Paige who spurred the Tar Heels on to end the Terps' unbeaten season.

Trimble put up a game-high 22 points and 12 assists, but it wasn't enough. Paige carried the Tar Heels with a team-high 20 points and five assists, in what was nothing short of a dramatic comeback to the court.

It was also a huge win for North Carolina, which already dropped out of the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 after an upset loss to Northern Iowa.

For Maryland, a huge drop in the polls isn't expected, as this is the Terps' first loss of the season, albeit against a very good team that got stronger with Paige's return. But overall, this was a tremendous display of offense for the entire North Carolina team.

The Tar Heels shot a staggering 69 percent from 3-point range, and 53 percent from the field. They also benefited from Maryland's 22 turnovers.

North Carolina's Brice Johnson also chipped in with 16 points, while Joel Berry II had 14 of his own. Across the court, Duke transfer Rasheed Sulaimon had himself a day, accounting for 18 points thanks to five 3-pointers.

Up next, North Carolina will host undefeated Davidson on Sunday, while the Terps host 2-3 St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday.

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