Purdue 67– Penn State 65: BTT Champs!

Stats

Zach Edey: 30 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist

Mason Gillis: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Seth Lundy: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist

Camren Wynter: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Big Ten champs! You’re Purdue Boilermakers took the schedule given to them and won 3 games in a row, clinching the championship in Purdue fashion. Penn State gave a huge scare at the end, getting the lead down to 1 with 6.4 seconds left.

First Half

The first half can be summarized in 3 words: Bread and Butter. That is exactly what Purdue went to en route to an 8-point halftime lead. Zach Edey got the ball in the low post and got his hook shot to go, Mason Gillis put in hustle plays for offensive boards and lay ins, David Jenkins Jr hit big 3’s, and Brandon Newman and Ethan Morton put on the clamps on the defensive end. Edey and Jenkins would lead the Boilers with 15 and 11, respectively. One of the biggest plays of the half was made by Fletcher Loyer who hit a circus 3 as time wound down. It was his only made shot, but seeing those go in can spark him like we’ve been hoping for weeks. For Penn State, the scoring was distributed pretty well as nobody scored more than Cam Wynter’s 7. Both Jalen Pickett and Miles Dread had 6 a piece.

Second Half

Again, fatigue seemed to set in for the opposition (at least at first). Penn State scored 11 points in the first 10 minutes of the second and missed a lot short. Zach Edey went to work down low again, and others got in on the action, including Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn. The lead stretched to 14 and Edey got some well-deserved rest. Purdue just looked like the more rested and hungrier team. Edey entered back in with just over 8 minutes to play, and Purdue would keep attacking the low post. PSU would push it in the waning minutes, getting the lead down to 6 when Seth Lundy fouled out with 3 minutes left. Penn State would keep it at 6 due to some missed free throws by Purdue. A timeout by PSU with 25.3 left with possession led to a Miles Dread and a Purdue turnover got the lead all the way down to 1 with 6.4 left. A foul on Fletcher Loyer sent him to the line, where he made 1 of 2. With 3.3, Penn State took a timeout in the front court. A PSU travel sealed it for Purdue. Whew!

Takeaways

Purdue wins its second BTT in team history and sweeps the Big Ten with the regular season, tournament, and player of the year (should also have coach of the year).

Purdue will likely be a 1-seed in the tournament for the first time since 1996. Stay tuned for the selection show.

Regardless of seed, this Purdue team will have high expectations in the tournament and this game was a great bridge into the Big Dance. Just keep winning!