COLLEGE PARK — Coming off its worst loss since World War II, Maryland had a week off to try and steel itself for the last of a brutal, three-game stretch against ranked Big Ten teams.
After winning 17 of its first 18 games, No. 12 Purdue entered on a three-game losing streak, including a humbling, five-point loss to struggling rival Indiana.
Advantage, Boilermakers.
Purdue backcourt duo Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith scored 29 and 19 points respectively, easily powering the Boilermakers with 11 combined 3-pointers and sending Maryland to it’s third-straight loss and worst in Xfinity Center history, 93-63, Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve tried to revamp a lot of different things in our first ’bye’ this particular week,” said Maryland coach Buzz Williams. “I do think any team, not just [a] year one team, I think any team that plays three top 15 teams in the NET [rankings], with two of them being on the road, you’re probably up against it.”
Loyer fell a point short of his career high on 9-of-14 shooting, including 7-of-10 from three, while Smith, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American, added four 3-pointers as the Big Ten’s best in that category shot 50% (15-of-30) from long distance. Smith added 6 assists to also become only the fifth player in NCAA history to eclipse 1,700 points and 950 assists in a career.
“When it’s [Loyer] finishing the possession, it’s going to be a three most of the time — 67% of his shots going into today were from three. I think our turnovers in the first half led to some of those threes for [Loyer] and for [Smith],” said Maryland coach Buzz Williams.
Only one other Boilermaker — Gicarri Harris — scored in double digits, and, really, no one else needed to. Purdue is now 30-3 all time when the two Indiana natives eclipse 30 combined points.
Andre Mills scored a career-high 18 to lead Maryland (8-13, 1-9 Big Ten), which has lost seven of its last eight games and remains next-to-last in the Big Ten standings. Darius Adams (17) and Solomon Washington (14) also finished in double-figures, but no other Terrapin, including leading scorer Diggy Coit, scored more than 8 points.
“They have great guards, a great team. We were preparing for them all week, trying to stop them in their ball screens. It’s hard, because they have good shooters, as we’ve seen tonight,” Adams said. “We weren’t, obviously, weren’t our best.”
The loss is Maryland’s second-straight by 30 or more points after a 91-48 drubbing at No. 10 Michigan State on Jan. 24, the program’s worst defeat since 1944.
“We’re not really focused on the outcome. We’re just trying to — we’re focused on us getting better every single day, and that’s going to make the outcome different,” Adams said. “Obviously there’s frustration just because we’re losing, but I don’t think it’s going to be a big thing. I think we’re all just locked in, trying to just get better every single day just so things like this doesn’t happen anymore.”
Purdue (18-4, 7-3) started 4-of-5 from the field and sprinted out to a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes on the back of two Loyer triples.
The Boilermakers stretched their advantage to 25-7 with an 13-0 run while holding Maryland scoreless for 5-plus minutes and forcing five turnovers in the same span. George Turkson Jr. broke the drought with a pair of free throws with 8:45 before halftime.
“Obviously, it’s similar to how we started against Georgetown,” Williams said. “You don’t want to start a game and the avalanche has already started, and then you’re playing from behind from that point forward. So, I’m trying to do better with that.”
The Terrapins narrowed the gap to 10, 28-18, behind back-to-back threes from Mills, part of a 50% (4-of-8) Maryland first-half effort from beyond the arc.
But Purdue’s large frontcourt presence, dominated by 6-foot-11 starting center Oscar Cluff and 7-foot-4 reserve center Daniel Jacobsen, meant any inside drives to the basket were met with fierce resistance.
Maryland only scored 6 points in the paint along with a lone offensive rebound in the first half, with any other tries meeting the side of the cylinder or being too strong and over the rim.
“We’re calling this month ’Foundational February.’ So we’re just sticking to the foundation, getting back to the way we want to play and how hard we want to play every possession,” Mills said.
Purdue led 49-21 at the break, with Loyer and Smith combining to outscore Maryland with 35 first-half points and nine 3-pointers.
Boilermakers coach Matt Painter eased off the throttle in the second half, giving his starters extended rest time on the bench as Purdue maintained a consistent 20-plus-point lead that grew as large as 32 late in the game.
“Their volume of shots in the first half, and our lack of volume of shots partly from turnovers, partly from not accruing any offensive rebounds, that’s that’s where we have to improve,” Williams said.
Maryland gets a reprieve from ranked opponents in their next two games — against Ohio State at home on Thursday and at Minnesota next Sunday.
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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