Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions suffer heartbreaking defeat at No. 6 Purdue

For the third time this season, Penn State basketball was leading on the road against a top 10 opponent

Penn State had a chance Sunday night to pull off another big road upset. However like against Ohio State, and just like against Michigan State, the Nittany Lions couldn’t hold off the home side in the second half, eventually succumbing to No. 6 Purdue 76-73.

The Nittany Lions  came into the game fresh off their biggest win of the season. They beat down No. 8 Ohio State on Wednesday night, giving their NCAA Tournament hopes a major boost in the process.

A win over the Boilermakers would have certainly put Penn State on the right side of the tournament bubble, but the Nittany Lions came up just short of a marquee road victory.

Penn State was lead on offense by the sophomore tandem of Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens. The former finished with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Stevens added 13 points and six boards of his own to pace the Penn State attack.

The Nittany Lions looked to be in a bit of trouble early, as Purdue opened the game on a 12-5 run.

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However, Penn State was able to find its footing and started to play with confidence as a unit, even after Mike Watkins was sent to the bench with two fouls early in the first half.

The Nittany Lions received impactful contributions from Julian Moore, Satchel Pierce and the rest of their bench en route to building a 31-22 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the half.

Purdue star center Issac Haas was held to just two points in the first 20 minutes and was a big part of why Penn State held a four-point lead at the break.

Eventually, the Boilers seized control of the game midway through the period.

Carsen Edwards was fantastic throughout, finishing with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting and hurting Penn State down the stretch with his driving ability.

Once Purdue took the lead, the Nittany Lions fought back thanks to a few timely buckets by Carr and Shep Garner. Penn State cut the lead to one possession multiple times but couldn’t get the lead back.

Ultimately, it was the turnovers and missed free throws that did Penn State in late in the contest. Even with four seconds left, Penn State had a chance to tie it with two free throws but Watkins missed the first of the pair.

The Nittany Lions will have another chance to add a quality win to its NCAA Tournament resume when they host Michigan Wednesday night.