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Marcus Paige helps North Carolina topple Maryland in his return

As North Carolina's Marcus Paige fought through a rash of injuries during the past year, it was easy to forget how good he could be when fully healthy.

On Tuesday, the All-American candidate offered a reminder.

In his first game since a Sweet 16 loss last March, Paige displayed the poise, creativity and outside shooting that have been his trademarks throughout his career. The senior guard scorched second-ranked Maryland for a team-high 20 points and five assists, leading the ninth-ranked Tar Heels to an 89-81 home victory over their former ACC rivals.

Paige sank his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the right wing in the opening minute. Paige sank his second one too, another jumper a few minutes later. But he saved most of his buckets for the most crucial juncture of the second half when the pressure rose after Maryland rallied from an early 13-point deficit to surge ahead.

It had to be encouraging for North Carolina to see Paige look like himself again because that seldom happened last season. He averaged 14.5 points per game, but both his production and efficiency dipped as he played through lingering pain from plantar fasciitis and an ankle injury that required offseason surgery.

Just when it seemed Paige would be healthy entering this season, the senior broke a finger in his non-shooting hand during preseason practice. He begrudgingly sat out North Carolina's first six games, including a 71-67 Nov. 21 loss at Northern Iowa in a game only scheduled to allow Paige to play in front of fans in his home state.

Paige's return provided a first look at North Carolina at full strength. The Tar Heels began the season No. 1 in both polls thanks to the return of four starters from a 26-win Sweet 16 team, but their reign didn't last long because of the Northern Iowa loss.

Whereas North Carolina rushed shots, committed too many turnovers and struggled from the perimeter in that loss, guard play suddenly went from a weakness to a strength on Tuesday. In addition to Paige's brilliance, point guard Joel Berry scored 14 points, dished out five assists and sank 3 of the 5 threes he attempted.

North Carolina needed big games from its backcourt because Maryland's star guard had a huge night of his own. Melo Trimble decimated the Tar Heels off the dribble, scoring 23 points and dishing out 12 assists.

At one point in the second half, Maryland was shooting nearly 70 percent from the field yet the Terps trailed because they couldn't stop the Tar Heels and they couldn't stop turning the ball over. They finished with 22 turnovers, eight by Trimble, the only blight on his otherwise brilliant night.

After North Carolina finally pulled away in the final five minutes, Paige went to the foul line to try to close things out. He received a standing ovation, a fitting reward for a returning All-American candidate who showed no signs of rust.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!