Penn State Falls To Purdue 58-49
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Ronnie Johnson scored 16 points and A.J. Hammons 15 as Purdue downed Penn State 58-49 Tuesday night to even its Big Ten Conference record at 5-5 while keeping Penn State winless in the conference.
The Boilermakers (12-11) struggled through shooting woes, going 0 for 10 on 3-pointers and shooting 40.8 percent (20 of 49) overall. But it was considerably better than Penn State's 19-of-62 (30.6 percent) performance.
Combined, the two teams were 2 for 30 from 3-point range.
Hammons' points came primarily from the free-throw line, hitting 11 of 12 to complement to two field goals for the Boilermakers.
D.J. Newbill, who had seven previous 20-point games for Penn State, scored 17 to lead the Nittany Lions (8-14, 0-10). It was the 19th game this season Newbill scored in double figures.
Purdue held Penn State's Jermaine Marshall to just seven points. Marshall, along with Newbill, averages 18 points per game.
Penn State outrebounded Purdue, the conference leader, 42-37, and pulled to within 52-47 with 3:40 to play. Despite the rebounding disadvantage, the Boilermakers managed to outscore Penn State 36-20 with points in the paint.
The Boilermakers led by 10 with just under 8 minutes to play but a 7-for-14 performance from the foul line prevented Purdue from pulling away.
Purdue and Penn State had been on opposite schedules as the Boilermakers were playing their fifth game in 13 days while Penn State was involved in just its second game in 10 days with a four-day break around each game.
Purdue found some energy with a run of 8-4 to end the first half and 7-1 to open the second as Johnson and Hammons tossed in four and three, respectively.
Penn State tied the game at 31 behind baskets by Newbill and Ross Travis but Purdue quickly went on an 18-6 run, building a 49-39 lead and forcing a Penn State timeout.
Newbill scored six straight points for Penn State to breathe a little life into the Lions, but Sasa Borovnjak (5:56) and Jon Graham (4:53) fouled out as Purdue led 52-45.
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