Center Zach Edey collected 30 points and 20 rebounds as top-ranked Purdue avoided back-to-back losses by beating visiting Penn State 95-78 Saturday.
Edey made 10 of his 12 field goal attempts and was 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. He entered the game averaging 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Purdue, which was coming off Tuesday’s 88-72 loss at Nebraska, trailed 10-8 early in the game but took control with a 27-2 run. The Boilermakers had a 35-12 lead following an Edey free throw with 9:54 remaining in the first half. The free throw capped a 17-0 spurt.
Purdue (15-2, 4-2 Big Ten) shot 58.2 percent from the field (32 of 55) and made 11 of 24 3-point attempts, but missed nine of its 29 free throws. The Boilermakers outrebounded the Nittany Lions, 43-24.
Lance Jones added 14 points for Purdue, which also received an 11-point performance from Fletcher Loyer. Braden Smith tied his career-high with 11 assists.
Purdue made 18 of 30 field goal attempts in the first half (60 percent) and led 56-36 at halftime. Penn State (8-9, 2-4) failed to get closer than 16 points in the second half.
Nick Kern made 7 of his 9 field-goal attempts and led the Penn State offense with a career-high 18 points. Kanye Clary added 16 points, Jameel Brown finished with 13, and Ace Baldwin had seven points and 13 assists.
Purdue, which improved its home record to 9-0 this season, has won the last eight meetings with Penn State.
The Nittany Lions shot 29 of 65 from the field, including 9 of 28 from 3-point territory.
It was the second straight loss for Penn State, which has lost nine of 13 games since a 4-0 start. The Penn State program is now 0-15 against No. 1-ranked teams.
–Field Level Media