Iowa State Loss 'Sucks Right Now,' But Fletcher Loyer Tells How It Can Benefit Purdue
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Purdue's senior group has been through this before. It hasn't happened often, but the trio of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn has suffered through disappointing losses. Rarely has it happened to the tune of 23 points inside Mackey Arena.
That was the case on Saturday, though, as No. 10 Iowa State clobbered No. 1 Purdue 81-58 in West Lafayette, handing the Boilermakers their first loss of the year.
On its face, Saturday's loss is as ugly as that group has experienced during their time with the program. But it can also serve as a learning opportunity for a team that is desperate to return to a Final Four and bring a national title back to West Lafayette.
"When you lose games like this, it either derails your season or you can turn it around," Loyer said after the game. "This really sucks right now, but it will probably end up being a good thing, showing us how much better we have to get and how much harder we have to play."
Purdue had its worst shooting performance of the season, making just 41% of its field goal attempts and connecting on only 22% of shots from three-point range. The Boilers were also a paltry 6-of-14 from the free-throw line.
Coach Matt Painter compared Saturday's blowout loss to last year's loss to Auburn, an 87-69 defeat on a neutral court. That loss helped the Boilermakers grow on both ends of the floor, helping them in March when the NCAA Tournament rolled around.
Loyer is taking a similar approach after this loss. There's clearly a lot to work on in West Lafayette, especially when the shots aren't falling.
The senior guard says Purdue has to now turn all its attention to Minnesota, its second Big Ten opponent of the year. And if the Boilers continue struggling to make shots, he expects his team to at least be the one playing harder on Wednesday night.
"I believe we play Wednesday against Minnesota, we have to be the harder-playing team," Loyer said. "Tonight it was Iowa State and that can't happen, especially at home in front of this great fanbase."
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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