Big Ten Tournament: Nittany Lions fall to Purdue in semifinals

Penn State basketball’s run in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament ended in the semifinals

Fatigue plays a big role in who comes out on top in most conference tournaments. Playing three games in three straight days can take a serious toll on the mind and body and that seemed to be the case for Penn State on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Nittany Lions hung with second-seeded Purdue for the first 30 minutes of the game before eventually succumbing to fatigue and the hot shooting of the Boilermakers in a 78-70 defeat at Madison Square Garden.

Penn State was fresh off its third victory of the season against Ohio State, propelling the Nittany Lions back into the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation. A win over Purdue would have likely secured Penn State a place in the field of 68 for the first time since 2011.

In what could be his last game as a member of the Nittany Lions, senior guard Shep Garner led all scorers with 33 points, including five first-half three pointers to give Penn State a five-point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the half.

However, Purdue would respond and the Boilermakers were aided by a Pat Chambers technical foul, followed by a deep three from Carsen Edwards to close the half on a 7-0 run and take a 33-31 lead into the break.

With all of the momentum in favor of Purdue, the Nittany Lions had to start the second half strong.

But Penn State looked as if it had run out of gas on both sides of the ball from the onset as Purdue was able to control the game on both ends, something that Northwestern and Ohio State couldn’t do in prior games this week.

Edwards and Dakota Mathias were lethal from behind the three-point arc and the pair combined for a total of 24 points in the second half, including 5-of-6 from three-point range.

One key issue for Penn State on offense was the poor play of Tony Carr and Josh Reaves. The pair that had proved to be rock solid all season long just didn’t play like themselves on Saturday, most notably Carr who only finished with 12 points and missed a number of routine shots around the rim.

The Nittany Lions were able to contain Issac Haas in the first half but he was able to have success in the second half on the glass, finishing with  17 points and seven rebounds, often at the expense of Julian Moore, who was visibly frustrated with the officiating all game.

Next: Tracking the Nittany Lions at the NFL Combine

Penn State will have to find out next Sunday if they’re in the field or will be hosting a first round NIT game.