COLLEGE PARK, Md. — 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 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 — and one even climbed onto the 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.
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.
People are also reading…
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 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.
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.
NO. 2 HOUSTON 80, SMU 65: Marcus Sasser scored 20 points, freshman Jarace Walker added 14 and Houston (24-2, 12-1 American Athletic Conference) cruised over SMU (9-18, 4-10) in Dallas.
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.
Jamal Shead, who scored 13 points, finished the first half with an isolation layup before starting the second half with one of his eight assists on a one-handed, alley-oop dunk by Walker.
NO. 8 ARIZONA 88, UTAH 62: Kerr Kriisa had 17 points and six assists, Courtney Ramey added 13 points and host Arizona routed Utah.
Arizona (23-4, 12-4 Pac-12) bounced back from a loss at Stanford last weekend and avenged a loss in Salt Lake City earlier this season.
Arizona leading scorer Azuolas Tubelis sat most of the first half in foul trouble, but the rest of the Wildcats picked up the slack.
NO. 17 SAINT MARY’S 62, SAN DIEGO 59: Mitchell Saxen had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Aidan Mahaney added 13 points for Saint Mary’s, who didn’t score in the last 7:05 but held off hobbled but determined host San Diego for its 14th win in 15 games.
The Gaels (23-5, 12-1 West Coast Conference), 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.
Nic Lynch scored 17 points and Beniwal added 11 for USD (11-17, 4-10).
MIDDLE TENN. 74, NO. 25 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 70: Camryn Weston scored 16 points, Elias King added 15 and Middle Tennessee beat visiting Florida Atlantic for the Blue Raiders’ first win over a ranked opponent since 2016.
Middle Tennessee (16-11, 9-7 Conference USA) avenged an 85-67 loss to then-No. 21 FAU on Jan. 26 in its first home game against a ranked team since the 2008-09 season. Middle Tennessee’s previous victory over a Top 25 squad came on March 18, 2016, against No. 2 Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Raiders led 56-41 with 10 minutes left as FAU (24-3, 14-2) made just four of its first 12 shots after halftime. FAU rallied to get within 61-54 on a 3-pointer by Michael Forrest with 4:22 left as Middle Tennessee went without a field goal for four-plus minutes.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.