PHOTO GALLERY: Purdue Wins Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Game
CHICAGO — Alongside its regular-season conference championship, Purdue laid claim to the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament title by hanging on for a 67-65 win against Penn State on Sunday at the United Center.
The Boilermakers went ahead by as many as 17 points in the second half of the matchup, fueled by junior center Zach Edey's team-high 30 points and 13 rebounds. But after taking a 60-43 lead with 6:18 left to play, they were outscored 22-7 by the Nittany Lions to end the game.
Penn State fifth-year guard Camren Wynter had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but he traveled on the final offensive possession. Purdue now heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 29-5 overall record and the No. 1 seed in the East Region.
"We struggled at times, but our team is very connected," Purdue junior forward Mason Gillis said. "The chemistry is very high. We just have great people in our program. Whenever all of those things come together and everybody is working hard, success can only come at some time or another."
The Boilermakers were 22-1 before hitting a rough patch during their season, losing four of six in February. But they began to turn things around at the beginning of March, winning their final two regular-season games to clinch the program's 25th Big Ten championship.
By adding three victories in as many days during the conference tournament, Purdue rides a five-game win streak heading into March Madness.
"We knew what we had and knew we had everything we need," Edey said. "It was just a matter of the shots going down, and eventually water finds its level."
Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Championship: Purdue 67, Penn State 65
Matt Painter
Mason Gillis
Braden Smith, Zach Edey and Mason Gillis
David Jenkins Jr.
Zach Edey
Fletcher Loyer
Brandon Newman
Purdue men's basketball team
Zach Edey
Matt Painter
Mason Gillis
Zach Edey
Braden Smith
David Jenkins Jr.
Zach Edey and Brandon Newman
Zach Edey
Matt Painter
Trey Kaufman-Renn
Zach Edey
Purdue men's basketball team
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