Purdue basketball fans collectively sighed four words after Sunday’s win over the Maryland Terrapins: “Welcome back, Fletcher Loyer.“
The senior sharpshooter broke out of his January funk and scored 29 points for the Boilermakers in their 93-63 blowout victory on the road. Loyer had not scored in double figures since putting up 11 in Purdue’s win over Iowa on January 14th.
Most of Loyer’s damage came in the first half when he accounted for 21 of his team’s 49 points. Braden Smith also helped the initial barrage, putting up 14 of his 19 points in the opening stanza.
The Boilers’ victory could not have come at a better time, as it emphatically broke their three-game losing streak. Purdue improved to 18-4 in all games and 8-3 against Big 10 opponents. The Terrapins’ disappointing season continued with their loss, dropping them to 8-13 overall and 1-9 in conference games.
Whoever coined the adage, “A good defense is the best offense,” must have had Sunday’s game in mind.
During their recent three-game slide, Purdue had allowed their opponents to enjoy much greater success shooting the basketball. The UCLA Bruins, the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Indiana Hoosiers shot a collective 50.3% from the field against the Boilermakers. On Sunday, Maryland managed just 39% on 19-for-49 shooting.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter felt this game was just what the doctor ordered.
“It’s what you need. You need games like this to get yourself feeling good,” he said. “You get yourself in position where you’re 7-0 in the league and 17-1, you lose three straight and you find out a lot about your guys. That’s the kind of adversity you’re going to see at times. You’ve gotta be able to weather through it and play better.”
After the two teams traded two-point baskets in the first minute of the game, the competitive nature of the contest appeared to be over. Purdue went on a ridiculous 23-5 run over the next 11 minutes, holding Maryland scoreless for an almost-six-minute span.
The first-half lead ballooned to as much as 25, but it could have been worse for Maryland. It took four points in the final ten seconds from Andre Mills to make it a 49-28 Boiler lead at the break.
After halftime, the course of the game remained the same. It was such a romp that Smith, who came in averaging almost 34 minutes each contest, did not play the final 12:17 of the game.
Loyer’s big game broke him out of a 5-for-21 slump from three-point range in recent games. Against Maryland, he hit on seven of his ten attempts from distance. He is now second on Purdue’s all-time list of three-point makes, putting him just 29 behind Carsen Edwards’ mark of 281.
Painter voiced what all of Boiler Nation is feeling regarding what this game means for Loyer and Purdue.
“In his (Loyer’s) career, he’s always had a stretch where he struggles and a stretch where he’s the best shooter in the country,” he said after the game. “We hope this is the start of that stretch.”
Tough road games against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Iowa Hawkeyes, both ranked, lie ahead on Purdue’s schedule. Home games against the 2nd-ranked Michigan Wolverines and rival Indiana will be no picnic, either. Loyer’s ability to rock the three-pointer will loom large and greatly determine the Boilermakers’ fate in the postseason.
One game, good or bad, does not tell the whole story and certainly cannot foresee the future outcomes for the Purdue basketball squad. It is never as bad as one thinks after a loss, and it can always be better even after a win.
For the Boilermakers, however, Sunday’s triumph on the road at Maryland was a godsend. Players, coaches, and fans of the black and gold needed a game like that in the worst way to keep their championship aspirations alive. How the players use this newly-found momentum remains to be seen.
Purdue is currently in the middle of a six-day stretch without a game. Next up for the Boilermakers is a meeting with the Oregon Ducks, another struggling team, at Mackey Arena on Saturday. The opening tip will take place at 1 pm ET.
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