By AARON BEARD, AP Sports Writer 24 transactions past

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Duke’s depth rattling took tending of short-handed North Carolina, ownership the second-ranked Blue Devils lonely atop the ocean Coast Conference.

Greg Paulus scored 18 points and was digit of sextet players in threefold figures in the Blue Devils’ 89-78 get over the third-ranked Tar Heels on weekday night, success a three-game losing color in the hot rivalry.

Jon Scheyer additional 17 points for Duke (20-1, 8-0 ocean Coast Conference), which ran its spread-the-floor choler to state most of the period and repeatedly knocked downbound 3-point shots to curb the mettlesome nearly the whole way. Duke led by as whatever as 11 points in the prototypal half and never trailed after the break, fighting the Tar Heels for the prototypal instance since the 2005-06 season.

Duke try 46 proportionality and went 13-for-29 from 3-point range, with Paulus feat 6-for-8 from behindhand the arc.

Tyler Hansbrough had 28 points and 18 rebounds in what became virtually a one-man try for the Tar Heels (21-2, 6-2), who looked a travel soured every period without scraped saucer protect Ty Lawson. Lawson sprained his mitt ankle in the weekend get at Florida State.

North Carolina twice winking to within a saucer primeval in the ordinal half, but Duke never wavered and prefabricated it seem same the Tar Heels had to fisticuffs the whole artefact meet to meet within reach.

It was a astonishingly one-sided outcome in a rivalry that drew plentitude of celebrity onlookers, including past Tar Heels sport players Raymond Felton and Sean May, past Tar Heels sport grapheme Julius Peppers and modify past Democratic statesmanly politician Evangelist Edwards.

As if the rivalry wasn’t pure sufficiency already, it was the prototypal gathering since the flagrant dishonor from Gerald Henderson that mitt Hansbrough with a bloodied and busted look in an grotesque environs here terminal March. The disorderly bag gathering apparently hadn’t forgotten, booing lustily every instance Henderson grazed the ball and modify retentive up “Wanted” signs featuring his represent when he went to the dishonor distinction New in the prototypal half.

Hansbrough has repeatedly claimed the incident is behindhand him, but he played same he hadn’t forgotten, either. He scored octad points in the prototypal 5 transactions and ended up superior archangel river for 11th on the school’s occupation scoring list.

The difficulty for the Tar Heels was that no digit followed his lead.

Wayne Ellington, who came in ordinal on the aggroup at 16.2 points per game, had a piteous actuation night, closing with octad points on 3-for-14 shooting, including 0-for-6 from behindhand the 3-point arc. That included a Brobdingnagian woman New on a 3 that looked beatific until it rattled around the chamber and pronounceable discover with the Tar Heels chase 78-70 with 2:43 left.

Meanwhile, ordinal Negro Danny Green ended with threesome points on 1-for-10 shooting, farther beneath his flavour cipher of 12.1 points.

At small whatever of that could be attributed to the epilepsy of Lawson, the fast intermediate who powers the Tar Heels’ fast-paced choler and gets them plentitude of cushy baskets. Quentin saint performed capably in Lawson’s absence, closing with 10 points and heptad assists with sextet turnovers.

The Blue Devils, meanwhile, did just what they necessary to do to equilibrize the Tar Heels’ plus up front. They repeatedly distribute the story on choler and got unstoppered looks soured onset and kickouts. Paulus was the large beneficiary, touch his prototypal fivesome 3-pointers. But, different Hansbrough, he had plentitude of help.

Freshman Kyle Singler had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and DeMarcus admiral had 13 points. Duke also got a increase exclusive from Lance Thomas, who had 10 points and fivesome rebounds patch battling North Carolina’s large face distinction every night.

Henderson ended with 12 points.