Jan. 18, 2006
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Geary Claxton had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Mike Walker's outside shooting sparked a key first-half run as Penn State defeated Purdue 74-54 on Wednesday.
Penn State (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten), which has struggled mightily in recent years, found itself in the relatively unusual position of leading by more than 20 points at times in the second half.
They withstood a late surge by the Boilermakers (7-9, 1-4). Matt Keifer converted two offensive rebounds for buckets and Bryant Dillon hit a few 3-pointers as Purdue went on an 11-3 run to cut Penn State's lead to 55-45.
The Nittany Lions regained control after baskets from Travis Parker and Claxton and a Jamelle Cornley layup off a fast break brought the lead back to 16 points.
Fans gave a hearty cheer as they headed for the exits after the victory gave Penn State as many Big Ten wins as last season, when they were 1-15 in conference play.
Kiefer and Marcus White each had 13 points to lead Purdue.
The Lions stretched an 8-point halftime lead to double digits in the second half after turnovers and sloppy ball-handling by Purdue and defensive pressure from Penn State.
Claxton had a dunk after a backcourt steal by Cornley, then Ben Luber hit an open 3-pointer to give the Lions a 50-32 lead.
Walker, a scrappy 6-foot-2 reserve, sparked a key run late in the first half that fired up a relatively docile dinner-time crowd. The game started at the unusual time of 6 p.m.
Walker hit a 15-foot jumper, got a 3-pointer from the right corner off a touch pass in the lane from center Milos Bogetic, then hit a 17-footer to give Penn State a 33-25 lead late in the first half. Walker finished with 10 points.