Penn State men’s basketball loses close game to No. 3 Purdue, 74-67
Penn State men’s basketball lost a close game Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center to the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers, 74-67. The game was Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s first against the team he was an associate head coach for last season.
Purdue began the game by going to its 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey for an easy bucket on the undersized Nittany Lions. The Lions responded by doubling down from the wing on Edey and getting hands in his face to make life difficult for him on the low block.
He was pulled with under 18 minutes left in the half and Penn State took advantage by getting to the rim more and playing tighter perimeter defense with less need to monitor the paint.
Offensively, it was once again senior guard Jalen Pickett who got things going for Penn State, scoring five of the team’s first 10 points.
He and senior forward Jelanni White were the team’s primary sources of offense early on. White set good screens for the team’s ball handlers and rolled to the rim, finding space with his defender in conflict between staying with the forward or the ball handler. He scored six of the team’s first 14 points thanks to his ability to find those creases.
Penn State was able to build a seven-point lead in the half, but Purdue came out of a timeout strong to go on a 15-5 run and make the game 29-26. The Boilermakers built that lead a little further to go into the half up 35-30.
Pickett led the Lions at the half with 12 points and one of only four players to score in the first half for the team.
Purdue came out hot to start the second half, scoring seven of the first nine points and forced Shrewsberry to call a timeout.
His team began to make more open looks after that, keeping the Boilermakers within reach down the stretch and taking the lead at 65-64.
The Lions weren’t able to maintain that edge the rest of the way, however, falling to Purdue and dropping to 7-6 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. Pickett led the Lions with 21 points, while Trevion Williams led the Boilermakers with 21 of his own.
Player of the game
Senior guard Jalen Pickett: Penn State has found a steady and calming presence offensively in Pickett this season. More than that, the Lions have found their best player. Pickett is the clear leader of the Nittany Lion offense and is the player in the ball with his hands when the shot clock is running down and the team needs an open look. He’s not the best athlete, but his almost off-beat tempo and savvy with the ball makes him difficult for opponents to guard. He’s a throwback in a sense, taking and making mid-range shots that aren’t sought out as often in modern basketball. Pickett’s ability to hit those looks, find his teammates in the pick and roll and calm the offense when it needs to be steadied helped the Lions mightily on Saturday.
Stat of the game
14:11: That’s how much time was on the clock when Edey picked up his fourth foul and Boilermaker head coach Matt Painter sent him to the bench to prevent him from picking up his fifth and fouling out. The Nittany Lions benefited on both ends of the court, with their guards having an easier time attacking the rim on offense and the defense not having to maneuver around the 7-foot-4 center. Edey’s foul issues made things difficult for Purdue on both ends of the court and allowed the Nittany Lions to climb back into the game Saturday afternoon.
Up next
vs. Rutgers: Penn State will stay home for its next game, taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Scarlet Knights entered the weekend 8-5 and ranked No. 96 in the KenPom rankings.
The NIttany Lions will have to deal with Rutgers wing Ron Harper Jr., who is averaging 15.3 points per game this season for his team. He’s one of the bigger combo guards in the Big Ten at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds and can present matchup problems because of his strength and ability to score from the perimeter.
