Purdue Basketball Implodes in Second Half During 68-54 Loss at Maryland

Maryland buried No. 3 Purdue with a 29-4 run in the second half after a technical foul on junior forward Mason Gillis. The Boilermakers have lost their last three road games, falling to 23-4 overall and 12-4 in Big Ten play.

D.J. Fezler | Feb 16, 2023

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Purdue led by eight points in the early minutes of the second half against Maryland and looked to pull away after holding a narrow advantage for most of the way.

But that was before junior forward Mason Gillis was called for a technical foul with 15:20 left in the game. From then on, the Boilermakers fell apart on both ends of the floor, opening the floodgates for a deciding 29-4 run by the Terrapins.

Maryland outscored No. 3 Purdue by 17 points in the second half and dominated the glass down the stretch, running away with a 68-54 win on Thursday night at the Xfinity Center to remain undefeated at home against Big Ten opponents.

The Boilermakers have now lost three of their last four games, all on the road, falling to 23-4 overall and 12-4 in conference play. Their lead atop the Big Ten standings is down to just one game entering the final stretch of the regular season.

Purdue’s recent struggles with taking care of the basketball seemed destined to continue right from the opening tip. The team got the ball inside to junior center Zach Edey on its first offensive possession, and he immediately threw the ball to the chest of a Maryland defender.

The Boilermakers registered five turnovers in the opening eight minutes yet managed to hold a small lead for most of the first half. They didn’t cough the ball up for the remaining 12 minutes before halftime.

Coming off a poor performance in a loss to Northwestern on Sunday, freshman point guard Braden Smith was a steady force in the attacking half of the court. He got his first seven shots of the game to fall and scored 10 points in the opening period on 5-of-5 shooting.

Despite starting 8-of-26 from the field in the first half, Maryland kept things close by going 8-of-11 from the foul line. Graduate guard Jahmir Young registered nine points before the start of the second half and was 5-of-5 on his free throw attempts.

Young scored the final seven points of the first half for the Terrapins, but the Boilermakers went into the locker room holding a 28-25 lead.

Smith and junior center Zach Edey combined for Purdue’s first four baskets in the second half, giving the team a 37-29 lead with 16:19 left to play. But after a missed layup attempt by Edey, Maryland sophomore forward Julian Reese was fouled by Gillis while coming down with a rebound.

Gillis directed his frustration toward the officials, prompting a technical foul call. Young, who hit a jump shot on the previous offensive possession for the Terrapins, made the subsequent pair of free throws and sparked a 10-0 run.

In the span of two minutes, Maryland evaporated Purdue’s lead and went ahead for the first time in the second half with 13:46 remaining. Junior guard Brandon Newman halted the run with a 3-pointer, but it would be the last time the Boilermakers found themselves ahead on the scoreboard.

Purdue entered the game leading the Big Ten in rebound margin but was outrebounded 35-23. The team could only muster three offensive boards in the contest and made just nine of its 23 shots in the second half.

Smith and Edey each posted 18 points during the loss while the Boilermakers finished with six players registering a basket.

The Terrapins were 17-of-27 from the floor after halftime, and Young led all scorers with 20 points while adding five rebounds and four assists. Senior guard Hakim Hart and Reese also scored in double figures, recording 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Purdue closes the regular season by playing three of its final four games at Mackey Arena. The team will be back in action on Sunday, Feb. 19, for a matchup against Ohio State.

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