PHILADELPHIA – The Penn State men's basketball team (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) fell to No. 1 Purdue (15-1, 4-1 Big Ten) 76-63 at The Palestra Sunday evening.
It was a tale of two halves, as Penn State shot over 46 percent from the field and 50 percent (6-12) from deep in the first half to take a 37-31 halftime lead. Penn State was ice cold to start the second half while Purdue was red hot, making eight of its first nine shots, as the Boilermakers started the second half In the second half on a 19-2 run. Penn State clawed back, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
Jalen Pickett led Penn State with 26 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Seth Lundy followed with 14 points and five rebounds. Evan Mahaffey chipped in a career-high eight points on 4-of-6 shooting to compliment Penn State's top scorers. Mahaffey also added a career high three steals in his strong overall effort.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The two squads played a tight ballgame through the first ten minutes of play, as the game was knotted 14-14 midway through the opening period.
- The Nittany Lions opened up a 17-16 lead a the 8:29 mark of the first half and carried the lead all the way through the halftime break, up 37-31. Pickett's 18 points led a Penn State squad that was shooting at a 46.9 percent clip from the floor, including a 6-for-12 effort from downtown.
- The Boilermakers wasted no time in the second half, breaking off a 12-0 run out of halftime before a 5-2 spurt for Penn State brought it back within three points at 45-42.
- A 13-4 stretch for Purdue put the Boilermakers out in front 58-46 with 9:59 left in regulation. Buckets by Evan Mahaffey and Pickett kept the Nittany Lions in it, but the team was shooting just 4-for-17 from the field in the second half.
- Penn State would not go down without a fight. With the Boilermakers up 66-50, the Nittany Lions extended a 6-2 run that forced a Purdue timeout with 5:57 remaining in the second half.
- The Nittany Lions got to within ten points with 2:29 remaining, but the Boilermakers outlasted Penn State and took home a 76-63 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Jalen Pickett scored 26 points for the third-straight game. He added nine rebound and eight assists. Pickett entered the game as the only player in the country averaging over 17 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, and added to those averages with his efforts tonight.
- Freshman Evan Mahaffey picked up career-bests with eight points and three steals in a career-high 19 minutes the contest tonight, surpassing his previous high of seven that he scored at Michigan on Wednesday night.
- Penn State was seeking its first-ever win over the nation's No. 1 team. The Nittany Lions are now 0-13 all time against the country's top-ranked team.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry, Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy
UP NEXT
- Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday night to host #15 Indiana at 7 p.m.
The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.