Maryland coach Mark Turgeon had an even greater admiration for his team after its latest game even though the second-ranked Terrapins suffered their first loss.
They'll look to bounce back Friday night against St. Francis (Pa.) while preparing for another significant nonconference matchup.
Maryland (6-1) made a season-high 12 3-pointers and shot at least 50.0 percent overall for the fourth consecutive game Tuesday, but couldn't overcome 22 turnovers in an 89-81 defeat at No. 9 North Carolina. The Tar Heels turned those miscues into 21 points while shooting 53.2 percent and hitting nine of 13 from beyond the arc.
Melo Trimble had 23 points and a career-high 12 assists for his third career double-double, but set an unwanted personal high with eight turnovers in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge loss. Rasheed Sulaimon had 18 points and five 3-pointers, one shy of matching his career high.
"I was really proud of our guys," Turgeon said. "I told our guys after the game: I don't like our team; I love our team. And I didn't love our team until tonight. It sounds funny. We were 6-0, and we lost the game, but my guys showed me a lot tonight."
Turgeon's squad faces another test against Connecticut in the Jimmy V Classic in New York on Tuesday.
First, Maryland will try to secure an 18th consecutive home win and drop the Red Flash (3-3) to 0-4 on the road. St. Francis opened with an 87-56 loss at then-No. 19 Notre Dame on Nov. 13 and has dropped its last four games against ranked opponents by an average of 37.5 points.
The Red Flash have shot a combined 35.9 percent in their three road games, compared with 45.0 at home. They hit 45.8 percent in an 84-73 win over Lehigh on Wednesday.
Leading scorer Ben Millaud-Meunier (13.5 points per game) had a team-high 18 and freshman guard Isaiah Blackmon contributed 16, giving him 33 points in his past two games. Blackmon averaged 9.0 points in his first three collegiate contests.
"It's always a good opportunity to play a team as talented as Maryland," senior forward Ronnie Drinnon told the school's official website. "The thing is, we have to go in there, play together, defend and limit their second chances on the offensive glass. We're going to go in and give them our all."
Maryland won the only meeting between the schools Dec. 30, 1955.
