WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Three Nittany Lions scored in double figures with junior forward Lamar Stevens scoring 12 of his team-best 18 points in the second half, but No. 12 Purdue won 76-64 behind 21 points from Carsen Edwards. Stevens moved to 1,502 career points with his total, one of just 11 Nittany Lions with 1,500 or more career points.
"Give Matt (Painter) and Purdue credit, that was an ugly game, for sure, a lot of turnovers and fouling, but I was proud of my guys, we competed," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers, "(Purdue) went up a large amount there, we came back, cut it to a manageable margin – Carsen is going to get his 20 and Ryan does what he does, it's the other guys who really won this game. I really thought they played great. Their bench did a good job. I thought they stepped up and won the battle of benches and were able to keep it at a distance for us not to come back and tie the game."
The game featured a combined 44 personal fouls and 39 turnovers. The Nittany Lions were only able to score 17 points off 23 turnovers by Purdue, a season high for the Boilermakers.
Freshmen guards Rasir Bolton and Myles Dread finished with 17 and 10 points, respectively. Josh Reaves scored his seven points in the second half and had a game-tying high with three steals to move him to 235 for his career.
The Boilermakers built a double-digit lead in the second half after a 33-30 lead at the break, but Penn State battled back to cut it to a 61-56 score with 4:28 left to play.
Reaves picked up his third personal foul less than two minutes into the second period and Purdue missed its first shot of the half, but connected on its next four to fuel a Boilermaker scoring spree.
A layup by Reaves and then back-to-back steals by freshman Myreon Jones, the first for his own basket and second for Stevens, gave Penn State six points in just over a minute minute to pull to 50-40.
Three-straight treys by Purdue extended its lead to 61-44, but the Boilermakers would go without scoring for six minutes. Stevens and Reaves both scored baskets with a handful of free throws before Reaves' third steal of the game brought Penn State back within five, 61-56.
Six of Purdue's next eight points came from the line as Mike Watkins became the second Nittany Lion to foul out and Reaves picked up his fourth personal foul. Stevens and Bolton each scored four points in the final 2:21, but Matt Haarms added five points for his 18 and Edwards finished the night with a game-high 21 points off two free throws for the 76-64 final.
Penn State had a season-best 13 steals and had the advantage in points in the paint (32-22) and second-chance points (19-11). Purdue went 7-10 from beyond the arc in the second half to finish the game with nine total.
The opening minutes of the game belonged to Penn State as Myles Dread had two 3-point baskets, Reaves had two steals and the first 2:42 saw an 8-0 Nittany Lion lead. Purdue committed three turnovers in the first 2:12 and had only two field goals and two free throws in the first 8:04 of the game.
The Boilermakers came out from the under-12 media timeout with an 11-4 run to tie the game at 19 and then took a four-point lead, 23-19 with 6:04 left in the half. A nearly three-minute stretch without a Purdue field goal allowed a quick 5-0 by Penn State to put PSU up 24-23. After another tie at 28, Purdue closed the half with a trey and two free throws and Jamari Wheeler added two free throws for the 33-30 halftime score.
The Nittany Lions return home to the BJC for a 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19 game vs. Nebraska.
For information or to purchase Penn State men's single-game tickets for the next home game vs. Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 12, visit GoPSUsports.com/mbbsinglegametix or call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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