COLLEGE PARK, Md. Maryland needed less than one minute to cut a 12-point deficit in half against North Carolina on Wednesday night, and the crowd at the Comcast Center was at its most deafening when the Tar Heels called a timeout with about six minutes to play.

From there, though, Marcus Paige, whose turnovers aided Maryland’s run, made a 3-pointer, and James Michael McAdoo followed moments later with a three-point play.

The response was critical for the Tar Heels, who held on for an 79-68 victory – one of their most impressive since changing their starting lineup last month.

Outside of that brief spurt when Maryland made a surge, North Carolina (22-8, 12-5 ACC) mostly controlled the game and neutralized the Terrapins’ significant size advantage on the interior.

How the Tar Heels would fare against Maryland’s front line was likely coach Roy Williams’ primary concern.

He had to be pleased with the results.

UNC held Alex Len, the Terps’ 7-foot-1 center, to a quiet eight points. Maryland senior James Padgett, a burly 6-foot-8 forward, finished with nine.

Instead of the Terrapins (20-10, 8-9) exposing the Tar Heels’ lack of size inside, it was North Carolina that exploited Maryland’s inability to keep up with the quicker, aggressive lineup.

The Tar Heels’ rebounding might have been what satisfied Williams the most. One week ago, after a sloppy victory at Clemson, Williams became irate with his team’s inability to rebound.

Rebounding effectively has been a challenge for North Carolina since last month when it began using a four-guard starting lineup. Williams and his players expected it to be significantly more challenging against Maryland, which is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.

For the most part, though, the Tar Heels more than held their own. Maryland outrebounded UNC by only one, 34-33. The Terrapins generated 20 second-chance points, but only six came after halftime.

After a back-and-forth first half that featured eight lead changes, the Tar Heels took control for good with a 10-0 run before halftime.

Paige made a 3-pointer just before the half ended, for a 34-27 halftime lead. The Tar Heels quickly expanded their lead to double digits in the second half.

After McAdoo made a jump shot, North Carolina led by as many as 16 points with about 12 minutes to play. The Tar Heels led 61-46 with about 71/2 minutes left.

That’s when the Terrapins began their comeback attempt. It took Maryland less than two minutes to cut the deficit to six. During that stretch, Maryland used a full-court pressure and forced Paige to commit turnovers on consecutive possessions.

Paige, though, exhibited poise when he made a 3-pointer after Williams called a timeout. That pushed the lead back to nine, and McAdoo completed a three-point play to make it a 12-point lead with about four minutes to play.

The Terrapins cut their deficit to nine but came no closer. The Comcast Center began to empty with a couple of minutes remaining.

P.J. Hairston, who asserted himself early, led North Carolina with 22 points and Reggie Bullock had 19. They also combined for 20 rebounds. Bullock finished with 12 of those, and had a double-double for the third time in four games.

McAdoo finished with 10 points and Paige had nine. The Tar Heels shot 45.5 percent. The victory was their sixth consecutive, a season high.

With one game regular-season game to play, which will come at home against Duke on Saturday, North Carolina is playing its best.