Fletcher Loyer broke out of a shooting slump in a big way, scoring 29 points to lead No. 12 Purdue to a 93-63 Big Ten win over Maryland on Sunday in College Park, Md.
Braden Smith supplied 19 points and six assists and Gicarri Harris added 12 points off the bench for the Boilermakers (18-4, 8-3 Big Ten), who never trailed on their way to snapping a three-game losing streak.
Trey Kaufman-Renn contributed seven points and 10 rebounds, which helped Purdue enjoy a 37-26 edge on the glass for the game and a 16-3 advantage on second-chance points in the first half.
Loyer, who hit 6 of 25 from the field and averaged 6.3 points during the Boilermakers’ three-game skid, was on target from the start Sunday as he made his first three shots.
Loyer finished 7 of 10 from 3-point range as Purdue made 52.7% of its shots overall and 15 of 30 on 3-point attempts.
Purdue improved to 21-0 during Loyer’s four seasons when he makes four or more 3-pointers.
Andre Mills came off the bench to deliver 18 points and six rebounds for Maryland (8-13, 1-9), which was coming off a 43-point loss on Jan. 24 at Michigan State — its most decisive loss since 1944.
Darius Adams put up 17 points and Solomon Washington added 14 for the Terrapins, who have lost 10 of their last 12. They’re enduring their worst record through 21 games since the 1988-89 season.
Purdue took command early with a 13-point run triggered by a Loyer jumper. Smith added a pair of 3-pointers in the spree that gave the Boilermakers a 25-7 lead.
The run came during a 6:10 stretch in which Maryland had just one field goal attempt, missed both of its free-throw tries and committed five turnovers.
After Maryland sliced the deficit to 28-18 when Mills made back-to-back 3-pointers, Purdue answered with a 21-6 burst.
Smith ignited the surge with a triple and followed two minutes later with another. Loyer added a trio of 3-pointers in the spurt, which expanded the Boilermakers’ advantage to 49-24.
In the second half, Purdue stretched its lead to 32 points when Oscar Cluff made two free throws with 5:49 left.
With a basket in the first half, Smith became the fifth player in NCAA history to reach 1,700 points and 950 assists. He joined a club populated by Duke’s Bobby Hurley, East Tennessee State’s Keith Jennings, UNLV’s Greg Anthony and Syracuse’s Sherman Douglas.
–Field Level Media
