COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Fletcher Loyer’s slump ended in emphatic fashion — and so did Purdue’s.
Loyer scored 29 points, shooting 7 of 10 from 3-point range, and the 12th-ranked Boilermakers trounced Maryland 93-63 on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak. Loyer was just 5 for 21 from beyond the arc over his previous five games. Then he made five 3s in the first half alone against the Terrapins.
“It was great to see Fletcher get going,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “In his career, he’s always had a stretch where he struggles and a stretch where he’s the best shooter in the country. We just hope that this is the start of that stretch.”
Purdue lost to UCLA, Illinois and Indiana prior to this matchup with a struggling Maryland team. Next up for the Boilermakers is Oregon — another opponent near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Purdue didn’t let the Maryland crowd hold out any significant hope of an upset. A couple of 3-pointers by Loyer helped the Boilermakers take a 10-2 lead. He made three more during an 11-2 burst that made it 49-24 shortly before halftime.
“Obviously, losing three in a row you don’t want to do, but you’ve got to flip the switch,” Loyer said. “Today we flipped the switch.”
The Boilermakers are tough to beat when they shoot 15 for 30 from 3-point range, as they did Sunday. Painter seemed more pleased with his team’s work on the boards. By halftime, Purdue had eight offensive rebounds, and Maryland only had seven total rebounds.
“The issue is, instead of being 15 for 30, if we go 6 for 30 from 3, do you still win the game? Do you still do the other things?” Painter said. “You’ve got to be able to grind it when the ball doesn’t go in. We just got to be better in that area, because we live in a world, it’s a one-off tournament.”
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