COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Fletcher Loyer’s college slump ended in telling fashion — and so did Purdue.
Loyer scored 29 points on 7-of-10 3-point shooting and the 12th-ranked Boilermakers beat Maryland 93-63 on Sunday, snapping a three-game losing streak. Loyer had made just 5 of 21 3-pointers in the previous five games. He then hit five 3-pointers in the first half against the Terrapins.
advertise
“It’s good to see Fletcher starting to get going,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “There’s always been periods in his career where he’s struggled and there’s been periods where he’s been the best shooter in the country. We’re just hoping this is the start of that period.”
Purdue had losses to UCLA, Illinois and Indiana before playing a struggling Maryland team. The Boilermakers’ next opponent is Oregon State – another opponent near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Purdue didn’t give Maryland fans any dismal hope. Loyer’s two three-pointers gave the Boilermakers a 10-2 lead. He went on an 11-2 run before halftime to make the score 49-24.
“Obviously, you don’t want to lose three games in a row, but you have to turn it around,” Loyer said. “Today we flipped the switch.”
advertise
The Boilermakers shot 15-for-30 from 3-point range just like they did Sunday and were tough to beat. The painter seems more satisfied with his team’s work on the board. By halftime, Purdue had eight offensive rebounds, while Maryland had only seven total rebounds.
“The question is, if we go 6-for-30 instead of 15-for-30, are you still going to win the game? Are you going to do anything else?” Painter said. “When the ball isn’t going in, you’ve got to be able to grind it out. We’ve got to get better at that because we live in a world where this is a one-and-done game.”
___
Get AP Top 25 poll alerts and updates all season long. Register here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball