Fletcher Loyer helps No. 14 Purdue pull away in 90-73 win vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Fletcher Loyer scored 21 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 14 Purdue beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 90-73 on Monday night.
Also scoring in double figures were Trey Kaufman-Renn with 15 points, Myles Colvin with 14, Daniel Jacobsen with 13 and Braden Smith with 12. Kaufman-Renn had nine rebounds and Smith had 15 assists.
Owen Dease scored 20 for the Islanders. Garry Clark added 14 points.
The Boilermakers led 49-33 at halftime, but the Islanders got as close as three points in the second half before Purdue pulled away. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shot 54% in the second half to get back into the game.
The Boilermakers shot 56% for the game compared to 45% for the Islanders.
Purdue hung its 2024 NCAA Final Four banner with the national finalist prior to the game. The Boilermakers made the Final Four in 1980 and 1969, finishing runner-up in '69.
Takeaways
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Islanders played well in the first 14 minutes of the second half to battle back from a 16-point halftime deficit to narrow the deficit to three points.
Purdue: The Boilermakers weren't able to put away the Islanders until the final six minutes. The Boilermakers were hurt by 16 turnovers, seven more than Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Smith committed six of those turnovers.
Key moment
After Clark's 3-pointer narrowed Purdue's lead to 70-67 with 6:43 remaining, Loyer fed Jacobsen for an alley-oop that woke up the crowd. Purdue held a 20-6 edge the rest of the game.
Key stat
Colvin came off the bench to score all 14 of his points in the first half.
Up next
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Hosts Dallas Christian on Friday.
Purdue: Hosts Northern Kentucky on Friday.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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