Clutch Fletcher Loyer 3-Pointer Helps No. 12 Purdue Sneak Past Oregon, 68-64

Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 51 seconds left Saturday to lead No. 12 Purdue past pesky Oregon, 68-64. He closed it out by making three of four free throws in the waning seconds. Braden Smith finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists as the Boilermakers (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) won their second straight since breaking a three-game losing streak. Purdue has played only two home games since Jan. 14 and, in this one, Smith reached yet another milestone by becoming the first Big Ten player with 1,000 points and 500 assists in conference games only. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points for the Boilermakers. Nate Bittle had 23 points to lead the Ducks (8-15, 1-11), who took a 59-56 lead with 5:15 to go. Takai Simpkins added 14, but Oregon came up just short of snapping a losing streak that has now reached nine. The Ducks also have lost four straight road games and are just 1-9 since Jan. 2. Purdue looked like it would roll when it scored five consecutive points to take an early 21-14 lead and then extended the margin to 36-28 late in the first half. But Oregon closed out the half with eight straight points to tie the score at 36-all, setting up a back-and-forth second half that was decided in the final minute. Loyer’s 3-pointer with 50.3 seconds left gave Purdue a 65-63 lead, and after he made one of two free throws with 19.4 seconds to go, the Ducks still had a chance. But Wei Lin missed a potentially tying 3-ball from the outside at the top of the key and Kwame Evans Jr. missed the second of two free throws after grabbing the rebound. Loyer made the last two free throws to seal it. Next, Oregon visits Indiana on Monday, and Purdue visits No. 9 Nebraska on Tuesday. Reporting by The Associated Press.