Purdue Snares Big Road Win at Penn State, 73-52
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Purdue swept its season series with Penn State on Friday night, cruising to an easy 73-52 win in a game that was nothing like the first one except for the team that won.
Purdue coach Matt Painter was legitimately concerned with how Penn State can dominate a game on the boards, mostly because he'd seen it with his own eyes back in January. But on Friday night in Happy Valley, the Boilermakers did just about everything right.
"We were ready to battle. We were not going to lose this game,'' Purdue guard Jaden Ivey said. "That's it right there. We don''t want to lose any more games.
"Going into halftime, I told our guys that we're one of the best teams in the Big Ten, if not the best. We should be up there, without question, but this team isn't going to back down from anything.''
Back in January, the Boilers won but allowed 23 offensive rebounds in the process. It was a point of emphasis through a week of practice, and all that carried over into the game. Penn State had only five offensive rebounds all night – and none at all from their first starters, including big man John Harrar, who had 10 himself in January. Purdue won the total rebounding battle 38-24.
"We had a lot of focus the last couple of practices on boxing out,'' said Purdue center Trevion Williams, who had 11 points and was one of four Boilers in double figures. "Harrar is one of the best rebounders in our conference and we were focused on keeping him off the boards. In the practices leading up this game, we had a lot of energy. And tonight we came out with a lot of energy, too.''
That energy level showed – on both ends of the floor. Purdue forced 12 turnovers and had six blocked shots, and were able to get runouts afterward. It let to plenty of good looks, especially in the first half.
"We really shared the ball and were able to get good shots,'' said Sasha Stefanovic, who returned to the starting lineup and led the Boilers with 16 points. "We were getting good looks every single time. We tried to take them out of what they like to do, and once we limited those opportunities, I thought we did a good job against them in both halves.
"What we did on the defensive end set the tone for our offense. We played with a lot of confidence today.
Purdue took the lead for good about six minutes into the first half, but they blew the game open at the end of the period, going on an 8-0 run in the final two-plus minutes to take a 15-point lead into halftime.
"It was great,'' Painter said of that late spurt. "Our guys got in the passing lanes, and that block by Jaden (Ivey) stopped a sure two. Anytime you can steal points or use your defense to generate offense, that's a good thing.''
Penn State got no closer than nine points in the second half, and when they did, Purdue went on an immediate 10-0 run. The blowout win was nice, especially on the road and in a place where Purdue has played three overtime games since 2015.
"We were able to get a lead and keep a lead, and that was great,'' Painter said. "That always feels good. It's great to have a win like that.''
Purdue (16-8 overall, 11-6 in the Big Ten) got 10 points from Eric Hunter Jr., and 14 from Jaden Ivey, who was fabulous on both ends of the floor. He also had three steals and four blocks.
Purdue's last four road games have been against teams all in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings, so last-minute losses at Maryland and Minnesota were hurtful. That made this trip to Happy Valley – Purdue's last road game of the regular season and the final game they'll play all year outside of the state of Indiana – all the more important, especially after winning at Nebraska on Saturday.
Purdue was able to attack the rim early against Penn State, scoring 15 baskets in the paint in the first half. Big men Trevion Williams and Zach Edey each had six points right at the rim, but the other Boilers were able to penetrate, too.
Purdue shot 58.1 percent from the field in the first, even though they were just 3-for-9 from three. The big difference in Purdue building that 15-point lead at the break was on the boards, where they won the rebounding battle 21-11 and allowed only two offensive rebounds. The Boilers shot 51.9 percent for the game.
Penn State guard Myreon Jones, who had 29 points in the Nittany Lions' win over Nebraska on Tuesday, was just 1-for-6 shooting in the first half and had only three points. He finished the game with just 11 points, and missed all five three-point attempts. Penn State is now 8-13 overall, and 5-12 in the Big Ten.
Purdue, Iowa and Ohio State all have six losses now, and the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes play each other Sunday, so the fight for a top-four seed and a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament is now right there for the taking.
And the Boilers know it, too.
"We're fans too, and we know what's going on,'' Stefanovic said. "We watch the games and we know what's out there for us. We've just got to finish strong now.''
Purdue has two home game remaining, Tuesday night against Wisconsin and Saturday against Indiana.
