Penn State Blows Lead in Final Seconds, Falls to Purdue
For the sixth straight game, the Nittany Lions’ first Big Ten win of the season eluded them as they traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on the Boilermakers.
Penn State (9-10, 0-6 Big Ten) fell to Purdue (13-5, 3-2 Big Ten) 65-64 in the final seconds in yet another heartbreaker. The win is Purdue’s third straight in the Big Ten, the first time that has happened since February 2012.
Penn State was only down by two going in to halftime, and the Lions had a much stronger second half than first. But it wasn’t enough to hold on to a slim 3-point lead in the final seconds.
The Lions started the game slow, not scoring until the fourth minute on a three by Donovan Jack.
Once their initial points were on the board, 12 of their next 14 points were threes, one coming from Brandon Taylor, and two each from Tim Frazier and Graham Woodward.
Penn State then went on a 9-0 run to tie the game up at 26. From there, the Lions stayed within 2 for the remainder of the half, taking the lead twice in the final 90 seconds.
A Tim Frazier basket at the buzzer had the Boilermakers leading 35-33 going into the locker rooms.
Coming out of the intermission and up until the end of the game, Penn State was able to stay close to Purdue. Both teams swapped leads for much of the second half, neither getting more than a 3-point lead. Penn State’s biggest loss came with just under a minute to play, when big man Donovan Jack fouled out.
The last minute of the game saw Penn State fighting hard to hold onto its lead. With just over a second left and the game tied at 64, Penn State had the throw in and a chance for a quick score. However, Purdue intercepted the inbound pass, and was able to call a timeout.
Once play resumed, Ross Travis fouled A.J. Hammons as he went for the shot, and Hammons made 1 of 2 free throws, giving Purdue the one point advantage. Tim Frazier got the ball back with .3 seconds left, and was not able to make the half court shot as time expired, giving Purdue the one point victory.
Penn State continues the search for its first conference win as it goes up against Nebraska at home on Thursday at 8.
Anna Pitingolo is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email apiting@psu.edu.
Photo Courtesy: (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
