Three takeaways from Penn State basketball's narrow loss to No. 3 Purdue

Penn State men’s basketball came up just short against No. 3 Purdue at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday, falling 74-67.

The Nittany Lions rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to take a lead with 3:42 to go. They scored just two points from there on out, though, snapping their two-game winning streak in Big Ten play.

“I’m proud of their effort,” Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “I hate losing. You guys know this. I hate losing. But when you prepare the right way, when you play and you leave everything out there on the court, you can feel OK with the results. I feel OK with the results.”

1. Lions take Edey out of the game, but Williams picks up the slack

Penn State took care of the first major Purdue threat on the interior.

The Nittany Lions glued 7-foot-4 Purdue center Zach Edey to the bench for the majority of the game. He played just 10 minutes, picking up three first-half fouls and four fouls total. His backup, Trevion Williams, also committed two first-half fouls.

“I think I did a good job of trying to get them in foul trouble in the first half,” Penn State big man John Harrar said. “Trying to make them think once or twice about going in there.”

Edey finished the game with just six points. He’d averaged 15.6 coming into Saturday’s contest.

But, even with their biggest force neutralized, the Boilermakers were still able to lean on Williams down the stretch.

It’s quite the luxury to have. An all-conference player last year, Williams started 48 of Purdue’s 59 games over the last two seasons, averaging double figures and shooting over 50 percent from the floor. This season, he’s played mostly in a reserve role behind Edey.

Williams scored 14 of his 21 points down the stretch, with Penn State unable to handle his presence on the block. He grabbed six offensive rebounds for the Boilermakers, too.

“Just to start the second half, I wasn’t doing my job,” Harrar said. “I let Trevion get two offensive rebounds, which set the tone for the rest of the game. I’m supposed to be the one going and getting extra possessions for my team, not giving up extra possessions for the other team.”

Penn State decided not to double him in the second half, and he made the Nittany Lions pay with his touch around the rim.

“He’s All Big-Ten for a reason,” Harrar said.

2. Pickett’s ‘old man’s game’ drives Penn State forward

Penn State has Jalen Pickett to thank for being in this game late in the second half.

Pickett finished with 21 points on the afternoon — dishing out 10 assists as well — as he continues to cement himself as the pin that holds the Nittany Lion offense together.

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“Really good,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Pickett. “He has that old man’s game, where he’s upright with the basketball. He’s hesitating. He’s herky-jerky, so it’s kind of hard to keep that focus with him.”

Pickett has scored double figures in each of the Nittany Lions’ last six games, averaging 17.7 points per game in that stretch.

Penn State’s offense sputtered along until late in the game, when it awoke from 3-point range. Pickett’s ability to create for himself — and make difficult shots in tight spaces — ensured the Nittany Lions remained within striking distance before they made their run.

“That’s just how I’ve played my whole life,” Pickett said. “Just try to read and react. The defense goes one way, I try to go the other and just read what happens out there.”

3. Similar performances will lead to results

A quick scan of the postgame box score yields plenty of similarities between Penn State and the No. 3 team in the country.

Penn State shot 47 percent to Purdue’s 48 from the field, and 36 percent to the Boilermakers’ 37 percent from three. The Nittany Lions fought them to a stalemate on the glass. They committed three more turnovers.

It was a level of performance that — if sustained — will certainly give the Nittany Lions some positive results down the road.

“I hate losing,” Shrewsberry said. “But we were a good version of ourselves and we left everything on the court. We’ll get back to work tomorrow and get ready for Rutgers.”