 reclaimed a share of the conference lead with their ninth win in 10 games.Lamar Stevens finished with 18 points and Rasir Bolton had 17 for Penn State (9-16, 2-12). The Nittany Lions have lost have 10 of 12.The Edwards-Haarms combination completely changed the game early in the second half. The duo teamed up to score nine points in a 14-2 run that turned a four-point game into a 50-34 lead.Penn State answered with six straight to cut the deficit to 50-40 and eventually got as close as 61-56 when Josh Reaves completed a three-point play with 4:27 left. But Purdue closed it out with an 8-0 run.It was an odd game. The Big Ten's two top scorers - Edwards and Stevens - both played through foul trouble and turned the ball over a combined 15 times. Neither team followed its usual script in the first half, either.Instead, the Nittany Lions made three 3-pointers in the first four minutes to help give them a 17-10 lead. They made only two more the rest of the game.Purdue, meanwhile, committed 12 first-half turnovers - more than its final tally in all but seven games this season. The Boilermakers wound up with a season-high 23.And yet with Edwards making only one basket over the final 13 1/2 minutes of the first half, the Boilermakers somehow scrapped their way back. They tied the score at 19, took their first lead on Nojel Eastern's layup with 6:47 left and closed out the half with a 33-30 advantage.BIG PICTUREPenn State: This series has been full of frustration for the Nittany Lions. After rallying from a 17-point deficit to force overtime, the Boilermakers pulled away in January. This time, Penn State outplayed Purdue for most of the first half and a stretch in the second half, but couldn't overcome a poor start to the second half. The Nittany Lions have lost nine straight in the series and 12 straight at Mackey Arena.Purdue: The Boilermakers overcame their turnover flurry to rebound from Tuesday's loss with a solid final 30 minutes. While the slip-up at No. 24 Maryland earlier this week could lead to a slide in the rankings and Saturday's start wasn't impressive, the Boilermakers shouldn't fall far in the rankings - if they drop at all.STAT PACKPenn State: Stevens also had six rebounds and eight turnovers. ... Myles Dread scored 10 points and was the only other Penn State player in double figures. ... The Nittany Lions were 5 of 24 on 3s, including 0 of 9 in the second half. ... John Harrar and Mike Watkins each fouled out. Stevens and Reaves also finished the game with four fouls.Purdue: Haarms made only his second start since Dec. 16 and had six rebounds and two blocks. ... Edwards finished with seven turnovers. ... Grady Eifert had seven points and eight rebounds, while Eastern had four steals. ... The Boilermakers have won 15 consecutive home games. ... Former Purdue star E'Twaun Moore was honored at halftime with his own bobblehead. Moore plays for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans.UP NEXTPenn State: Returns home to face Nebraska on Tuesday.Purdue: Hopes to extend a four-game winning streak against rival Indiana on Tuesday.---For more college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/-Top25)
Feb 14, 2019One of former Purdue coach Gene Keady's favorite sayings was it's not who you play, it's when you play 'em.No. 12 Purdue (17-7, 10-3 Big Ten) will host Penn State (9-15, 2-11), which is coming off Tuesday's upset of No. 6 Michigan, on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.However, the Boilermakers would seem to have plenty of motivation, having blown a eight-point halftime lead in a 70-56 loss at No. 24 Maryland on Tuesday. That snapped an eight-game winning streak for Purdue.Senior Ryan Cline said the Boilermakers' first loss in more than a month should be a wake-up call."There are times when you're on the highest highs when you're winning, and there are times you get low and kind of crank up the intensity a little bit," Cline told the Lafayette Journal & Courier.Purdue coach Matt Painter, who played and coached under Keady, said the loss was a learning moment for the Boilermakers."We've just got to play better," Painter said. "We had a chance to win this game. We put ourselves in position to win this game at halftime. So you learn from it and try to get better. Each guy has a different thing to work it. Even when you win games, you are trying to watch film and make improvements." Purdue shot 28.2 percent overall and 21.2 percent from 3-point range against Maryland. The Boilermakers, outscored 40-18 in the second half, made a mere 17 percent of their second-half field-goal attempts. Carsen Edwards, Purdue's leading scorer, matched his average of 24 points, but was 8 of 27 from the field.The Boilermakers barely escaped with a 99-90 overtime victory at Penn State Jan. 31.The Nittany Lions have had several close losses in the Big Ten, but finally broke through with a 75-69 victory over visiting Michigan."It was our second court storm since I've been here," said Penn State junior forward Lamar Stevens, who averages a team-high 19.2 points. "This one meant so much because of every thing this team has been through. Our young guys have stepped up in a big way. To see those guys grow over time and come out with a big against a great Michigan team meant a lot to me." "I think over the last couple of games we've learned how to win and what it takes to win in the Big Ten," Stevens added.Penn State coach Patrick Chambers expects the victory to boost the team's morale and give it momentum down the home stretch."It means our players stay committed," Chambers said. "Our leaders did a fantastic job of keeping us together. It means our staff did a good job of what we need to do and make sure we have our identity down pat. We defended. We rebounded. We had toughness."We got to continue that down the stretch. They're starting to see their hard work pay off. We were so close at Ohio State (a four-point loss). We were so close here with Purdue. So close at Nebraska (a six-point loss), so many close games. We hadn't seen the fruits of our labor. This definitely puts us in a place where we're going to show up again and continue to press this." Stevens led the upset with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but Chambers was most impressed with his leadership."He was fantastic," Chambers said. "He took over huddles before I get in there. He kept them positive." Stevens said his teammates have been fantastic."They never get too high or low," he said. "They stay in the gym and keep working. With people like that, success is going to find you, and it found us against Michigan." --Field Level Media
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