Maryland extends tailspin of No. 3 Purdue
Jahmir Young scored 20 points and Maryland used a dominant stretch in the middle of the second half Thursday night to rally past No. 3 Purdue 68-54 and deal the visiting Boilermakers their second consecutive loss.
The Terrapins (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten) trailed 37-29 before erupting on a 29-4 burst to take control.
Hakim Hart added 13 points for Maryland, which defeated a top-three team for the first time since toppling then-No. 3 Iowa 74-68 on Jan. 28, 2016. Maryland improved to 14-1 at home this season.
Students stormed the court after Maryland earned its fourth victory of the season over a ranked team. Exactly 10 years earlier, fans rushed onto the same court after Maryland beat then-No. 2 Duke.
Zach Edey and Braden Smith both scored 18 points for Purdue (23-4, 124), which has lost three of four — all on the road.
The Boilermakers seemed headed for a bounce-back from Sunday’s 64-58 loss at Northwestern when it took an eight-point lead in the second half. But after a possession after a basket by Young, Purdue forward Mason Gillis was called for a foul and then was assessed a technical foul for arguing with official Doug Sirmons.
That effectively ignited a 10-0 spurt that prompted Purdue coach Matt Painter to call timeout. He tried to again stem the run when Hart hit a 3 to make it 5041 — a 21-4 spree at that point.
Maryland kept surging after the timeout, and by the time Hart made another 3 with 7:15 remaining, the Terps were up 5841 and Purdue faced its largest deficit of the season. NO. 2 HOUSTON 80, SMU 65 » Marcus Sasser scored 20 points, freshman Jarace Walker added 14 and the
Cougars (24-2, 12-1 American Athletic) cruised past the host Mustangs (9-18, 4-10). With a win at home over Memphis on Sunday, the Cougars could be in line for their third stay atop The Associated Press Top 25 poll this season after losses by No. 1 Alabama and third-ranked Purdue, which has dropped three of four.
NO. 8 ARIZONA 88, UTAH 62 » Kerr Kriisa had 17 points and six assists, Courtney Ramey added 13 points and the Wildcats (23-4, 12-4 Pac-12) routed the Utes (1710, 10-6) in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona bounced back from a loss at Stanford last weekend and avenged a loss in Salt Lake City earlier this season.
NO. 17 SAINT MARY’S 62, SAN DIEGO 59 » Mitchell Saxen had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Aidan Mahaney added 13 points for the Gaels (23-5, 12-1 West Coast), who didn’t score in the last 7:05 but held off hobbled but determined
Toreros (11-17, 4-10) in San Diego for their 14th win in 15 games. The Gaels, who continue to lead Gonzaga atop the WCC with three games to play, went ahead 54-31 on a 3-pointer by Mahaney with 14:17 left but let the Toreros slowly get back into the game. The Gaels missed their final seven field goal attempts. MIDDLE TENNESSEE 74, NO. 25 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 70 » Camryn Weston scored 16 points, Elias King added 15 and the host Blue Raiders (16-11, 9-7 Conference USA) earned their first win over a ranked opponent since 2016. FAU dropped to (243, 14-2).
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COLORADO 67, ARIZONA STATE 59 » Tristan da Silva scored 23 points, KJ Simpson added 12 and the Buffaloes (15-12, 7-9) snapped a six-game road losing streak by surprising the Sun Devils (18-9, 9-7). Colorado outscored the Sun Devils 17-3 over the final 5:37.