AP

Young’s 20 help Maryland surge past No. 3 Purdue 68-54

Feb 16, 2023, 5:10 AM | Updated: 7:22 pm

Maryland forward Donta Scott, center, and teammates are swarmed by students rushing the court after...

Maryland forward Donta Scott, center, and teammates are swarmed by students rushing the court after Maryland defeated Purdue 68-54 during an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)


              Maryland guard Hakim Hart (13) reacts after a basket as Purdue center Zach Edey (15) runs by during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 68-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Maryland guard Hakim Hart, right, shoots against Purdue center Zach Edey (15) and guard Fletcher Loyer during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 68-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              A student climbs a rim as a crowd rushes the court after Maryland defeated Purdue 68-54 during an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Maryland forward Patrick Emilien (15) uses two hands to dunk on Purdue forward Caleb Furst, center, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 68-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Maryland forward Julian Reese, center right, goes up for a shot against Purdue center Zach Edey, center, and guard Braden Smith, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 68-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Purdue center Zach Edey, left, works his way toward the basket against Maryland forward Julian Reese during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 68-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Maryland guard Jahmir Young (1) shoots against Purdue guard Ethan Morton during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 68-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Maryland guard Hakim Hart reacts after a basket against Purdue during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 68-54. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Students climb a rim as a crowd rushes the court after Maryland defeated Purdue 68-54 during an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Maryland forward Donta Scott, center, and teammates are swarmed by students rushing the court after Maryland defeated Purdue 68-54 during an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland’s Kevin Willard walked away from a Thursday morning film session with little doubt his team would upend No. 3 Purdue less than 12 hours later.

Then his Terrapins went out and proved the first-year coach prophetic, unleashing a dominant stretch in the middle of the second half to rally past the Boilermakers 68-54 and deal Purdue its second consecutive loss.

Students stormed the court — and one even climbed onto a basket — 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.

“I knew we were going to win,” Willard said. “This was not a surprise to me. This is an unbelievable program. It’s one of the best programs in the country. I thought it was important for the fanbase and it was important for the students to just understand what this program is really all about.”

Jahmir Young scored 20 points for the Terps (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten), who 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 and continued its resurgence after going 15-17 last season, the program’s first losing season since 1992-93.

“Like coach said in the locker room, ‘Just think of where you were last year,'” said forward Julian Reese, who had 10 points and nine rebounds. “At this time last year, we had a bad record — I’m not exactly sure what it was — and (now) it’s (18-8) and we just beat a top-five team in the country. It’s definitely a confidence booster, but we have to keep working.”

Zach Edey and Braden Smith both scored 18 points for Purdue (23-4, 12-4), which has lost three of four — all on the road. The Boilermakers were outrebounded 35-23 by the smaller Terps. It was their largest deficit on the glass all season and only the third time they were beaten on the boards.

“We have to be tougher,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “You have to come in here and win the possession battle. You have to have more rebounds and fewer turnovers. Now you can start right there and work toward something. We didn’t do that. When you get on the road and you have fewer possessions and now you don’t shoot well, oh that’s going to be a long night versus a quality team.”

The Boilermakers seemed headed for a bounce-back from Sunday’s 64-58 loss at Northwestern when they took an eight-point lead in the second half. But 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.

“It was definitely a momentum swing,” Young said. “We just tried to limit them to one shot and get out in transition. That’s when we play our best ball.”

That effectively ignited a 10-0 spurt that prompted Painter to call timeout. He tried to again stem the run when Hart hit a 3 to make it 50-41 — 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 58-41 and Purdue faced its largest deficit of the season.

“It just seemed like they were living about eight feet from the rim right in the middle, and they were just breaking us down off the dribble,” Painter said.

The Terps eventually pushed the advantage to 18 and never saw their lead cut to single digits the rest of the night against a team that was ranked No. 1 earlier this month.

BIG PICTURE

Purdue: The Boilermakers’ recent struggles have all come against good teams, but they haven’t been as sharp as they were during their 22-1 start. There’s still time to sort things out before the postseason, and Purdue should get a boost from playing three of its final four regular-season games at home.

Maryland: The Terrapins improved to 8-0 in conference home games under Willard. Maryland also avenged an earlier loss for the third time this season; the Terps also split with Michigan and Wisconsin.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Purdue fell from No. 1 to No. 3 after its loss at Northwestern on Sunday, and the Boilermakers seem likely to slip at least a few more spots next week.

UP NEXT

Purdue plays host to Ohio State on Sunday.

Maryland visits Nebraska on Sunday.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Young’s 20 help Maryland surge past No. 3 Purdue 68-54