Fletcher Loyer makes 7 3-pointers to end his, and No. 12 Purdue’s, brief slump

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Fletcher Loyer’s crisis has ended emphatically — as has Purdue’s.

Loyer scored 29 points, shooting 7 of 10 from 3-point range, and the 12th-ranked Boilermakers beat Maryland 93-63 on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak. Loyer was just 5 of 21 from beyond the arc in his previous five games. Then he made five 3s in the first half alone against the Terrapins.

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“It was great to see Fletcher start,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “In his career, he’s always had a period where he’s struggling and a period where he’s the best shooter in the country. We’re just hoping this is the start of that period.”

Purdue lost to UCLA, Illinois and Indiana before this game against a struggling Maryland team. Next up for the Boilermakers is Oregon – another opponent near the bottom of the Big Ten.

Purdue didn’t give the Maryland crowd any significant hope of an upset. A couple of 3-pointers from 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 you don’t want to lose three games in a row, but you have to flip the switch,” Loyer said. “Today we flipped the switch.”

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The Boilermakers are tough to beat when they shoot 15 of 30 from 3-point range, as they did Sunday. Painter seemed more satisfied with his team’s work on the boards. At halftime, Purdue had eight offensive rebounds and Maryland only had seven total rebounds.

“The problem is instead of being 15 for 30, if we go from 3 to 6 for 30, are you still winning the game? Are you still doing the other things?” said the painter. “You have to be able to succeed when the ball doesn’t go in. We just have to be better at that, because we live in a world, it’s a unique tournament.”

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