Matt Painter Provides Update on Purdue Guard Fletcher Loyer Following Michigan Loss

Fletcher Loyer suffered an elbow injury in Purdue's loss to Michigan on Friday night. After the game, coach Matt Painter provided an update on the junior guard.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) is helped off the court after taking a fall | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue junior guard Fletcher Loyer suffered an elbow injury in the second half of Friday night's game against Michigan in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. Attempting to save a loose ball, Loyer fell awkwardly and exited the contest with 13:19 remaining in the game.

Fortunately, Loyer was able to return to the contest just two minutes later. Still, the injury to Purdue's biggest three-point threat didn't look good, especially when the Gainbridge Fieldhouse cameras zoomed in on the injury.

After Purdue's 86-68 loss to Michigan, Painter was asked about the injury. He didn't go into specifics, but the fact that Loyer re-entered the game should be a positive sign for the Boilermalers.

"He hurt his elbow. I was just kind of asking like I didn't want to put him back in and further injure something, but our trainer said like he didn't think that was possible. He wanted to go back in. But I didn't see the play," Painter said.

"I know he was saving the basketball and fell on it funny, but he didn't really know how it happened either. It seemed like just him landing trying to save the basketball."

After the game, Loyer was not available for media as he was getting further evaluation on his elbow injury.

Loyer struggled to find a rhythm in Friday night's game even before the injury. The junior scored just five points, all coming from the free throw line. He missed all six shot attempts from the field.

In the coming days, Loyer and Painter will probably be able to provide a more accurate update on the injury. His health is critical for Purdue, especially with the NCAA Tournament beginning next week.

This season, Loyer is averaging 14.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.1% from the floor and 47.3% from three-point range. He's one of three players on Purdue's roster who reached the 1,000-point milestone this year, along with Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn.

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