Jan. 23, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 23, 2008 - The Penn State men's basketball (10-8;2-4 Big Ten) team struggled offensively in its second game without standout Geary Claxton and fell 64-42 to Purdue (14-5; 5-1 Big Ten) in the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday night.
The Nittany Lions' 42 points tied the lowest scoring output for a Penn State team in the Jordan Center equaling the marks set in a 67-42 loss to Michigan State in 2004 and a 42-41 victory over Tennessee in 1996.
"I just didn't feel a sense of playing with any urgency," said Penn State coach Ed DeChellis. "We had a chance to get back to .500 in the league and get something done, but we just were flat. The game was 14-12 with eight minutes to go and we just didn't respond very well or do anything right."
Penn State scored just two field goals during a nearly 19-minute drought stretching from the 12:35 mark in the first half to the 13:38 mark of the second half. In that stretch, the Boilermakers outscored the Lions 34-6. Purdue held a sizeable lead for 25 minutes of action and cruised to the 22-point victory. The Boilermakers consistent offense and stifling defense never allowed Penn State into the ball game and, after an early 10-9 lead, the Nittany Lions never lead again as they dropped their fourth straight game.
"I'm not sure it was the offense. I'm not sure it was the defense," DeChellis said. "I think it was the entire makeup of who we were tonight. It wasn't about X's and O's. It was about the whole energy level. I was really disappointed in that. Five [Geary Claxton] is not playing anymore and we have to understand that. We have to make our own energy. He can't balance out situations, or get a big basket, or get a big offensive rebound for us."
Mike Walker (Lewisberry, Pa.) led Penn State with 10 points. Jamelle Cornley (Columbus, Ohio) chipped in with nine markers and four rebounds. The Nittany Lions shot 38.5 percent on 15-of-39 shooting from the floor. The lone offensive bright spot came from 56 percent shooting from three-point range (5-9). Purdue's pressure man-to-man defense hampered the Nittany Lions all evening long on the offensive end as Penn State struggled to find a rhythm without its best player.
"Last year we let one loss lead to more losses, that's not something that the leaders of this team want to happen again this year," said senior Mike Walker. "This is it for me. I'm not playing anywhere next year. I don't want to remember basketball being ten-game losing steaks and stuff like that. I think we need to start having fun again. We just have to find a way to have fun, play loose, and play confident."
Purdue finished the game with three players in double figures. Freshman Robbie Hummel led the way with a double-double notching 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 11 boards. Namanja Calasan and E'Twaun Moore each had 11 points in the victory. The Boilers shot 47.2 percent (25-53) for the game and nailed 11 three-pointers on 25 attempts for 44 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
It was the Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) and Calasan show in the early stages of game. Battle scored five of Penn State's first seven points, while Calasan drilled a pair of baskets and a three-pointer to tally seven of Purdue's first nine markers. Calasan's three-pointer with 16:15 to play in the first half set the score at 9-7 in favor of the Boilers.
After a Cornley three-point play gave Penn State a 10-9 lead, Purdue went on a 17-2 run covering 7:57 which set the score at 26-12 with 5:51 to play in the half. Fueled by a series of Nittany Lion turnovers off of pressure man-to-man half-court defense, the Boilermakers used fast-paced offensive sets to get open looks while the Lions went without a field goal for 7:15.
A D.J. Jackson (Farrell, Pa.) three-pointer from the right corner snapped the scoring drought and brought the Lions to within 11 points as the scoreboard read 26-15 at the 5:20 mark. Cornley then drove coast-to-coast and finished with a five-foot jumper in the lane, which cut the lead to 26-17.
Purdue went on another scoring spurt to end the half. A three-pointer and a mid-range jumper from Hummel kick-started a 13-1 scoring surge. Penn State closed out the final 4:40 of the half without a field goal. In all, the Nittany Lions notched two field goals over the last 12:35 of the first half helping Purdue to a 39-18 lead at the half. The Nittany Lions 18 first half points marking their fewest since scoring 17 in the first half at Iowa in 2006.
Purdue shot nearly 52 percent (15-29) from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play to take a 21-point lead into the locker room. Purdue nailed six three-pointers, including three from Hummel to blow the game wide open. Hummel finished the first half with 13 points and seven rebounds. Jackson led Penn State with seven markers. The Nittany Lions were just 7-for-22 from the field in the half (31.8 percent).
The second half started the way the first ended. Keaton Grant knocked down a three-pointer to give the Boilers a 42-18 lead. Penn State went 6:22 before getting on the scoreboard in the second half. After missing their first nine shots from the floor in the half, back-to-back baskets from Cornley set the score at 48-22 with 13:04 to play in the contest.
The two short-range jumpers from the Columbus native started a 12-5 scoring run for the Nittiany Lions. However, Purdue came right back with a Scott Martin three-pointer to dash any hopes. Martin's three-pointer set the score at 56-30 with 7:29 to play.
The hot shooting from beyond the arc continued for the Boilers, as they maintained a lead of more than 25 points for nearly all of the second half.
Penn State will head back on the road this weekend with a trip to Iowa City on tap. The Lions will meet the Hawkeyes at 6 p.m. (ET) Saturday on the Big Ten Network.