The Purdue Boilermakers avoided an upset and pulled out a win against the Penn State Nittany Lions in Indianapolis, 69-61, Friday night.
The No. 3 seed Boilers (26-6) stumbled out of the gate and allowed No. 11 seed Penn State (14-17) to jump out to a 12-2 lead in the game's opening minutes.
Brandon Newman came off the bench at the 5:37 mark of the first half and provided the spark that gave the Boilers the lead for good on a 3-pointer from the wing, 30-28.
Newman’s seven first-half points were a part of a 15-4 run by Purdue to close out the first half. The sophomore from Valparaiso had not played since Jan. 17 and finished with 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field.
“The player of the game for us was Brandon Newman,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said after the game, “It was a great performance. We don’t win the game without him.”
Purdue led by as much as 12 in the second half but Penn State was able to close the gap to a one point game with 2:40 to play, 62-61. The Boilermakers used stern defense and steady free throw shooting to close the game on a 7-0 run and advance to the semifinal round.
“I think it was just a team effort,” said senior guard Eric Hunter Jr, “I think this is one of the better games we have had just talking to each other on defense.”
Despite a lackluster start, Purdue’s defense woke up and capitalized on nearly all of Penn State’s mistakes, turning eight Nittany Lions’ turnovers into 16 points.
Jaden Ivey finished with a game-high 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Zach Edey chipped in 15 points. Trevion Williams scored nine, collected five rebounds and dished out five assists.
Purdue’s next opponent is Michigan State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The No. 7 seed Spartans advanced Friday night upsetting No. 2 seed Wisconsin 69-63.