Confident Fletcher Loyer, No. 12 Purdue take aim at Oregon
Purdue senior guard Fletcher Loyer shook a shooting slump in a big way last weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, his teammates will look to feed off that persistence as the No. 12 Boilermakers face struggling Oregon in West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue (18-4, 8-3 Big Ten) stopped a three-game losing streak with a 93-63 road rout of Maryland on Sunday.
Loyer led the charge with 29 points, which included a 7-for-10 effort from long range. It was a welcome development after he shot just 4 of 15 from deep as the Boilermakers lost to UCLA, Illinois and Indiana by a 13 combined points to close January.
"It's just a win for the team," said Loyer, who is averaging 13.2 points per game this season. "Obviously, you want to make shots, but when it's not going in, it's staying confident and keep moving forward."
Braden Smith followed with 19 points on Sunday and has scored in double figures in 11 straight games entering play against the Ducks (8-4, 1-10).
Still, the Boilermakers know Loyer can provide equal consistency when he's clicking -- and his rhythm typically doesn't stray far for long.
Loyer has 252 made 3-pointers in his career, 29 shy of matching the program record set by Carsen Edwards.
"He's been here for four years," teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn said of Loyer. "We know how good of a shooter he is; we see it every day. It's just trying to get him as many open shots as possible. As a teammate, that's what I'm looking at. If he can catch the ball and shoot the ball, that's the shot we want."
Kaufman-Renn notched a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds to boost visiting Purdue to a 65-58 victory against Oregon on Jan. 18, 2025. The first meeting between the schools as Big Ten rivals marked a matchup between Top 20 programs, but the Ducks have sputtered this season.
Sunday's 84-66 home loss to Iowa extended Oregon's season-high losing streak to eight games, with the past seven defeats coming by double digits.
Injuries sidelined Nate Bittle, Ege Demir, Devon Pryor and Jackson Shelstad vs. Iowa, as Shelstad (hand) and Demir (shoulder) remain out for the season.
"Anything I say, it makes it sound like excuses, you know," Ducks coach Dana Altman said.
While Bittle (foot), the team's leading scorer at 16.3 points a game, returned to practice this week, a return timeframe to game action is uncertain.
Kwame Evans Jr. led the way against Iowa with 18 points in a contest that saw the first start of senior walk-on guard Drew Carter, a one-time Colorado football player.
Altman this week chastised himself for not cultivating more depth on a team seeking its first victory since Jan. 2 at Maryland, Oregon's only win in league play.
Takai Simpkins, who had 16 points Sunday, has provided a steady hand during the slide, finishing in double figures in five of the seven games in which he has played.
As Altman aims to avoid his career-worst losing streak of nine games, set during his first season at Creighton in 1994-95, he's clear that the Ducks' struggles haven't dampened his passion.
"You do this as long as I have, there's always ups and downs," Altman, 67, said. "This is a big down, but I still like coaching, still want to coach. I still enjoy going to the gym every day. Got a great staff. So, no, it doesn't change how I feel about it."