Penn State can’t hold on to halftime lead in loss to top-ranked Purdue | Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Zach Edey scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and helped a furious 12-0 run to start the second half as No. 1 Purdue rallied to defeat Penn State 76-63 before a sold-out crowd at the Palestra on Sunday night.

Fletcher Loyer scored 17 points while Braden Smith added 15 to help the Boilermakers improve to 15-1 overall and post back-to-back road conference wins after Monday’s home loss to Rutgers knocked Purdue from the ranks of the undefeated.

Despite Jalen Pickett’s 26 points, Penn State (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) fell to 0-13 lifetime when facing the top-ranked team in the nation.

Edey, a 7-foot-4 junior center, was a nightmare from the start for the Nittany Lions. He scored Purdue’s first six points of the game, drew double teams most of the night and was able to move the ball from the low block.

Pickett scored 18 of his points in the first half, ending the session with an up and under shovel past Edey’s outstretched arms that gave the Nittany Lions a 37-31 advantage at the halftime buzzer.

Purdue took the game over in the second half, shooting 66.7% from the floor (18 of 27). The Boilermakers held the Nittany Lions scoreless for the first four minutes of the period. Edey scored 18 of his points in the second half while Loyer had 14 in the second half.

The Nittany Lions shot just 11 for 30 from the floor in the second half and 2 of 10 from beyond the 3-point arc.