[1] Purdue 95, Penn State 78 (Postgame Notes)
- Purdue improved to 15-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten with a 95-78 win over Penn State in front of the 66th straight sellout at Mackey Arena.
- Purdue is 15-2 or better for the third straight season.
- The win was Purdue's 10th straight at Mackey Arena and seventh straight over Penn State. The Boilermakers have won 27 of their last 30 games against Penn State and 17 of their last 18 games.
- Purdue has won 19 straight games as a ranked team against Penn State, dating to Jan. 6, 2009.
- With the Paint Crew in attendance, Purdue is now 63-6 against Big Ten teams since the start of the 2014-15 season.
- Purdue is now 99-12 against unranked Big Ten teams at Mackey Arena during the Matt Painter era.
- Purdue's 95 points in regulation were its most against a Big Ten team since scoring 104 against Iowa on Feb. 5, 2020. The 56 first-half points were also the most since scoring 61 in that same Iowa game.
- Purdue improved to 6-1 since the start of last year following a loss.
- Purdue posted a season-best run of 17-0 midway through the first half – part of a run that actually went 27-2.
- Purdue is 81-3 since the start of the 2017-18 season when scoring at least 80 points.
- Purdue won its 117th straight game when scoring at least 90 points, dating to Nov. 24, 1987, vs. Iowa State.
- Matt Painter won his 213th Big Ten game, now needing just one win to tie Illinois' Lou Henson for fifth (214) on the Big Ten-games only victories list.
- The win was Purdue's 100th in Big Ten play since the start of the 2016-17 season (100-41). Michigan State is next among Big Ten teams with 88 victories in that span.
- Purdue had 26 assists on its 32 made field goals and outrebounded the Nittany Lions 43-24.
- After going 11-of-24 from deep, Purdue is now shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range on the season.
- Zach Edey recorded his second career game of at least 30 points and 20 rebounds, when he had 30 points, 20 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. His two career 30-20 games are the second most in school history (Terry Dischinger – 3; 1960-62). He is the first player nationally to reach 30-20 in a game this season.
- He is just one three players since 2010-11 to have at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a game (Feb. 2019 - South Dakota State's Mike Daum, Dec. 2022 - Chattanooga's Jake Stephens).
- Edey recorded his 10th career 30-10 game, the most for an active player by six games (Hunter Dickinson – 4). It's the most for a Big Ten player in the last 15 years by five games (Luka Garza – 5). It was also his 49th career double-double.
- Edey has now scored in double-figures in 68 straight games, tied for the third-longest streak for a major-college player since the 2002-03 season.
- In Big Ten play only, Edey is averaging 23.0 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.2 assists, while shooting 71.6 percent from the field.
- Edey now has 1,912 points, 1,033 rebounds (14th in Big Ten history) and 187 blocks. He needs 88 points and 13 blocks to become the third player in NCAA history to have 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks and shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field, joining David Robinson and Patrick Ewing. Edey is currently shooting 62.4 percent from the field.
- Braden Smith dished out a career-high 11 assists, his third game this year of 10 or more assists, tied for the second most in the country. Smith is now averaging 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. His three games of 10 or more assists are the most for a Purdue player since 1987 (Everette Stephens – 4).
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue fans treated Zach Edey to a pregame standing ovation in commemoration of him becoming the school's second player with 1,000 career rebounds.
They serenaded him again following another milestone moment.
The reigning national player of the year scored 30 points, grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds and watched his teammates make 11 3-pointers Saturday as No. 1 Purdue routed Penn State 95-78.
"Not many people can say they've had 30 and 20 multiple times in their career at Purdue," Edey said after achieving the feat for the second time. "I do get to say that, so it's a pretty surreal feeling."
For Edey, this was as impressive a game as he's played. In the first half, he had 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks while going 6 of 6 from the field. He finished 10 of 12 from the field and produced just the third 30-20 game with three blocks and three rebounds.
And he had plenty of help.
The Boilermakers added eight 3s in the first half as they took a 56-36 halftime lead. Lance Jones added 14 points, Fletcher Loyer had 11 and Braden Smith matched his career high with 11 assists.
Purdue (15-2, 4-2 Big Ten) rebounded from Tuesday's loss to Nebraska with its 10th consecutive home game — and their eighth straight over the Nittany Lions.
"The big guy played great today — 30 and 20, that's Wilt Chamberlain-type numbers," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. "We just didn't have an answer for him."
Nick Kern Jr. had a career-high 18 points to lead Penn State and Kanye Clary added 16. The Nittany Lions (8-9, 2-4) have lost three of four overall.
But this was a complete a mismatch and Purdue took full advantage after the first five minutes.
Camden Heide's 3 with 15:13 left in the half gave Purdue an 11-10 lead and spurred a 31-5 run, forcing the Nittany Lions to take a timeout twice. When the run ended, the Boilermakers led 39-15.
The Nittany Lions responded with a flurry of 3s late in the first half but never got closer than 14.
"He's here and he's obviously a special player, but he's also one of those guys," coach Matt Painter said of Edey. "If you've faced him, he's hard to prepare for. You can watch him on film, but you don't realize how strong he is."
THE TAKEAWAY
Penn State: It's been an up-and-down first season for Rhoades and this revamped roster. At times, the Nittany Lions have shown promise. But against this size, depth, experience and talent, they didn't have a chance.
Purdue: If there's a common thread for the Boilermakers it's this: They're not losing back-to-back games. They played with the edge that Painter wants, which was missing earlier this week at Nebraska. Purdue needs to keep playing this way if it hopes to defend last season's regular-season conference title.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Boilermakers' four-week reign at No. 1 may end despite four of the top five ranked teams losing before the weekend began. Can they extend the nation's longest active streak of top-five rankings to 27?