No. 12 Purdue Pulls Away in Second Half for 15th Straight Home Win
#BoilerNotes
- Purdue improved to 18-7 overall and 11-3 in the Big Ten with a 76-64 win over Penn State … the win was Purdue’s 15thstraight at home and Purdue is now 13-0 at Mackey Arena this year … 12 of the 15 wins during the streak have come by double-figures.
- Purdue is now 11-3 or better through 14 games in Big Ten play for the sixth time under Matt Painter … it marks the third straight year that Purdue has started at least 11-3 in Big Ten play.
- Purdue improved to 39-12 all-time against Penn State, having won nine straight games against the Nittany Lions … Purdue improved to 21-2 against Penn State in Mackey Arena having won 12 straight games … Matt Painter is now 23-5 against Penn State.
- Purdue’s senior class has now won 61 home games, tied for the second most in school history (Class of 2018 – 62) … Purdue owns a nation’s-best 61-4 record at home over the last four seasons … since the start of the 2014-15 season, Purdue is 40-4 at Mackey Arena against Big Ten opponents.
- Matt Painter will coach in his 500th career game Tuesday night at Indiana … he owns a 338-161 record in his 15th year as a head coach.
- Purdue improved to 145-15 under Painter when shooting better than 48.0 percent from the field.
- Purdue’s 23 turnovers were its most since having 23 against Minnesota on Feb. 7, 2015 … it marked Purdue’s most turnovers in a win since Dec. 22, 1999, when Purdue had 25 turnovers in a 92-61 win over Central Michigan.
- Purdue has made 258 3-pointers this year, good for the fifth most in school history.
- Purdue improved to 94-9 since the start of the 2014-15 season when attempting more free throws than its opponent.
- Carsen Edwards scored 21 points with two rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal … it marked his 19th 20-point game of the season and 34th of career … he has scored in double figures in 45 consecutive games and made a 3-pointer in 37 straight games … he moved into 15th place on the school’s career scoring list (1,657 points) and became one of six players with multiple 600-point seasons (Glenn Robinson, Joe Barry Carroll, Rick Mount, Dave Schellhase, Terry Dischinger).
- Matt Haarms scored a career-high 18 points with six rebounds, two blocks and an assist … he went 5-of-7 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free throw line … when Haarms scores in double figures during his career, the Boilermakers are 13-1 … Haarms is shooting 62.1 percent (77-124) from the field this year.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –Â Purdue and Penn State have had several close games over the last several years, and that was the case for much of Saturday’s game before the Boilermakers got clicking.
No. 12 Purdue men’s basketball pulled away early in the second half and held on for a 76-64 win over Penn State Saturday afternoon in Mackey Arena.
Purdue (18-7, 11-3) kept pace with Michigan (12-3) and Michigan State (11-3) to remain tied for first-place in the Big Ten Conference regular season title chase.
Similar to an overtime win in State College just over two weeks prior, the Boilermakers struggled to put away the Nittany Lions, who jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led 19-12 midway through the first half. The pesky Penn State defense forced turnovers early and often, resulting in a season-high 23 turnovers for Purdue.
Purdue then went on an 11-0 run with five players contributing baskets to the streak to take the lead, building momentum that resulted in a 33-30 advantage into halftime.
The Boilermakers kept that energy going with a 17-4 run to start the second half and built a lead that peaked at 61-44 with 10:33 to go. Penn State got within five points at 61-56 late in the game, but a layup from Grady Eifert and two free throws each from Ryan Cline, Matt Haarms and Nojel Eastern culminated in an 8-0 run to fend off the Nittany Lions.
Haarms played a season-high 27 minutes and produced a career-high 18 points on 5 of 7 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. The sophomore tallied 13 of those points in the second half, including a dagger 3-pointer in the final minute to seal the win. Haarms’ hard work also helped to get Penn State big guys Mike Watkins and John Harrar fouled out, much to the liking of the students in the Paint Crew.
Purdue outrebounded Penn State 33-25 and shot 52.4 percent (22-42) from the field and 82.1 percent (23-28) on free throws. Carsen Edwards led the way with an efficient 21 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the field for his 19th 20-point game of the season.
Lamar Stevens (18 points) and Rasir Bolton (17) led the Penn State (9-16, 2-12) in scoring. The Nittany Lions were coming off an upset win over No. 6 Michigan earlier in the week.
Next up for the Boilermakers is a rematch with archrival Indiana on Tuesday night, this time in Bloomington. Purdue won 70-55 at Mackey on Jan. 19 in the first round of the home-and-home. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. ET and televised on ESPN2.
