Maryland turns it on in 2nd half to hand No. 3 Purdue 2nd straight loss

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.

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.

In Thursday's game, Purdue 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 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