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Loyer, Smith lead No. 3 Purdue past No. 1 Arizona 92-84 in NCAA showdown

Purdue center Zach Edey (15) shoots over Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Fletcher Loyer tied a career high with 27 points, Braden Smith added 26 and No. 3 Purdue beat No. 1 Arizona 92-84 on Saturday.

Loyer was 5 of 9 on 3-pointers and Smith was 4 of 7 while falling one point shy of his career high.

Zach Edey added 22 points and nine rebounds, with the 7-foot-4 All-American handling the middle while Smith and Loyer supplied the outside firepower in the Indy Classic.

The Boilermakers (10-1) handed the Wildcats their first loss while defeating a No. 1-ranked team for the first time since beating Arizona 72-69 on Nov. 25, 2000, which also was played in Indianapolis.

Caleb Love scored 29 points and Keshad Johnson added 24 for the Wildcats (8-1). Oumar Ballo added 13 points.

The Boilermakers shot 54% while the Wildcats shot 52%. Purdue held a 32-26 rebounding edge. Each team had 13 turnovers.

The Boilermakers led 67-52 before the Wildcats answered with an 11-0 run to close the deficit to 67-63.

Loyer scored 18 and Smith 14 in the first half to help the Boilermakers take a 49-38 halftime lead. Each team shot 57% in the first half.

With the game tied at 30-all, Loyer sank two consecutive 3-pointers to start a 9-0 run.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona: The Wildcats will likely lose their No. 1 spot to No. 2 Kansas. Arizona showed fight but couldn’t climb out of 15-point, second-half hole.

Purdue: The Boilermakers have already played five teams ranked in the top 15 this season.

TIP-INS

Purdue coach Matt Painter earned his 423rd victory to tie former Illinois coach Lou Henson for fourth place on the Big Ten coaching list. … Edey moved into second place on school’s career rebounding list.

UP NEXT

Arizona: Plays Alabama on Wednesday at Hall of Fame series in Phoenix.

Purdue: Hosts Jacksonville on Thursday.