After a Loss to No. 1 Purdue, Penn State's Micah Shrewsberry Apologizes to Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA | The Palestra had new windows installed in 2021 and, at various points Sunday night, Penn State basketball fans generated a noise bent on crushing them. The building's arched beams and dingy roof reverberated above the Lions' biggest home-court advantage of the season.
Yet that sellout crowd couldn't will Penn State to its first ever win over the nation's top-ranked team. After some recent sluggish efforts, including a one-point home loss to Rutgers on Jan. 2, the Boilermakers thumped Penn State in the second half of a 76-63 Big Ten victory.
And afterward, Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry apologized.
"We didn’t give ourselves a chance because we didn’t play with that toughness, so I feel like I let Philadelphia down tonight," Shrewsberry said. "And I apologize for that."
The Lions (11-5) had won big Palestra games twice before (in 2017 and 2020) and appeared ready to deliver another Sunday after taking a 37-31 lead at halftime. But the Lions did not meet a No. 1 team with a 7-4 center before at the Palestra. Purdue's Zach Edey, looking frustrated and inert early, grabbed the game's neck in the second half.
Edey, the Big Ten's leading scorer and rebounder, owned the paint against Penn State's undersized lineup, producing 30 points and 13 rebounds in a matchup that Penn State simply couldn't answer. Edey led the Boilermakers (15-1) as they barreled out of the locker room in the second half, dissolving that six-point halftime deficit within 90 seconds.
Purdue went on a 23-7 run to leave the Lions frustrated and Shrewsberry looking for ways to address a continuing theme of flat second halves. By the game's final minute, the Palestra filled with a "Let's go Boilers" chant, proving that noise goes both ways.
"We’ve got to play better for the fans here; that’s why I’m disappointed," Shrewsberry said. "I thought in the first half we played with the toughness that we needed, that represented Philadelphia, that represented Penn State and who we want to be as a program. And then we didn’t have that same fight. We didn't play with that same toughness."
Sunday night began with Penn State fans proving they will support basketball, even if it's 150 miles East of State College. This was a Penn State home game, relocated to take advantage of the smaller venue, create a more intimidating space against the gifted Boilermakers and bring Penn State basketball to its fans (rather than vice versa).
Those 8,722 fans (95 percent rooting for Penn State, Purdue coach Painter estimated) responded, as did Penn State. The program enlisted former stars D.J. Newbill, Lamar Stevens and John Harrar to provide voiceovers for the pregame video that sought to unite Philadelphia and Penn State through a theme of toughness.
The Palestra buckled time and again when Penn State's Jalen Pickett demonstrated that in the first half, slicing through, over and around a frustrated Edey for 18 points. Pickett, whom Painter called the Big Ten's best guard, capped the half with a dazzling scoop shot (his second) to give the Lions a 37-31 lead.
But even Pickett's wizardry couldn't prevent Purdue from reclaiming control. As Edey grew more comfortable in the paint, and the Boilermakers' stretched more shots from the field, Shrewsberry grew more impatient on the bench.
Pickett was marvelous: 26 points, nine rebounds, eight assists. The rest of his team fizzled.
"That wasn't Penn State basketball in the second half," Pickett said.
Added an exasperated Shrewsberry, "I didn’t think we were physical at all. Zach was rolling down the middle of the lane, and nobody's touching him, nobody's putting hands on him. ... We were on the perimeter watching him. That was the issue..
"It's on me to figure out how to get better or who helps us get better."
Penn State sought its first victory in program history over a team ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Prior to Sunday, the Lions were 0-12 against top-ranked teams, with some close calls. The Lions also hoped to end a four-game losing streak against Purdue, for whom Shrewsberry worked during two different stints before taking over at Penn State.
After the game, Painter wrote Shrewsberry a tremendous letter of recommendation, though the Penn State coach likely wasn't in the mood to hear it. Shrewsberry also worked for head coach Brad Stevens at Butler and with the Boston Celtics, which Painter said added tremendous value at Purdue.
In fact, Painter was confident that he learned more from Shrewsberry at Purdue than Shrewsberry learned from him.
"If I was taking over as an [athletic director] somewhere, that would be my one phone call," Painter said.
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