WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Jake Layman and No. 11 Maryland got this job done with defense.
The Terrapins shut down Purdue and its big men, bouncing back from a loss earlier in the week for a 69-60 victory Saturday.
Maryland began the day leading the Big Ten in field goal defense at 36.9 percent. Purdue shot just 36.8 percent, including 5 of 20 on 3-pointers.
The Terrapins limited 7-footers Isaac Haas and A.J. Hammons to a combined 12 points and 13 rebounds. They shot a combined 4 of 11.
“They were very physical,” Layman said. “Really, they just crashed the boards hard, so every time they shot the ball, you had to focus on boxing out. It was a challenge, and in the second half, we did a good job with it.”
Said Maryland coach Mark Turgeon: “This game scared me.”
“We haven’t seen big guys like that. We know how good they are defensively. Coming off a loss and being on the road, this is something we had to have,” he said.
“I just thought we executed better. I thought we were more invested today than we were [Wednesday], and it was good to see. I thought, defensively, we were dialed in most of the game. We played smart defensively,” he said.
Coming off a 64-57 loss at Illinois, the Terrapins (15-2, 3-1) put four scorers in double figures. Layman scored 14 points, Dez Wells had 13 points and Melo Trimble and Richaud Pack each added 11.
Maryland won in its first visit to Mackey Arena.
Kendall Stephens led Purdue (10-7, 2-2) with 14 points.
The Boilermakers lost for the 13th consecutive time to a ranked opponent.
A jumper by Pack and two free throws by Layman gave the Terrapins a 57-50 lead with 4:48 remaining. Trimble made two free throws with 3:48 remaining after a technical foul on Purdue coach Matt Painter.
A trio of 3-pointers — two from Vince Edwards and one from P.J. Thompson — had kept the Boilermakers close at 51-47 with 7:04 remaining. But foul trouble to centers Isaac Haas and A.J. Hammons prevented Purdue from challenging Maryland at the rim.
For Purdue, which started 2-0 in the Big Ten, the loss capped a tough week in which it also lost at No. 4 Wisconsin.
Purdue junior Rapheal Davis said the foul trouble to Haas and Hammons limited the team’s chances of an upset.
“I think, more than anything, our bigs got themselves out of the game, going against principles and things like that,” said Davis, who finished with 12 points.
“Those offensive fouls, just silly things like that, they really did it to themselves. They just have to be more disciplined, when it comes down to it, and be more focused,” he said.
Maryland used 3-pointers from Trimble and Pack to take a 13-4 lead with 14:26 remaining in the first half. Purdue pulled even at 26 at the break.
The Boilermakers got a rare five-point play with 2:08 left in the half when freshman Haas was fouled while making a layup, and Maryland coach Mark Turgeon was called for a technical foul.
Stephens made the two technical foul free throws, and Haas sank his foul shot to push the Boilermakers into a brief 24-21 lead.
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