Lions drop another heartbreaker
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Tim Frazier had 19 points and 10 rebounds, but Penn State lost a tight contest to Purdue 65-64 on Saturday night.
Terone Johnson had 14 points and five rebounds, and Kendall Stephens and Basil Smotherman each scored 12 points for the Boilermakers (13-5, 3-2 Big Ten). Purdue has won three straight Big Ten games for the first time since February 2012.
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D.J. Newbill added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Nittany Lions (9-10, 0-6), who have lost six straight, all in league play.
Terone Johnson scored a 3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining to tie the game at 64 and Ronnie Johnson broke up Penn State's inbounds pass before A.J. Hammons scored a free throw with a second remaining to capture the win.
Penn State looked like they had the game sealed.
Newbill was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:25 remaining and made 2 of 3 free throws to give the Nittany Lions a 60-57 lead.
Hammons missed two free throws with the chance to get Purdue within a point and later split a pair to make it 60-58.
Penn State missed a 3-pointer and Smotherman was fouled on the rebound. He made 1 of 2 free throws to make it 60-59 with 27 seconds remaining.
But then Brandon Taylor made two free throws to extend the lead again, 62-59, with 26 seconds left.
Terone Johnson made a layup with 18 seconds left to get Purdue within 62-61. Two free throws by Newbill with 16 seconds got Penn State back up by three at 64-61 before Terone Johnson's 3-pointer tied the game and Hammonds won it with his free throw.
Frazier made a free throw early in the second half before Smotherman and Bryson Scott scored to give Purdue a 39-34 lead. But the Boilermakers couldn't break away.
Newbill hit a 3-pointer to make it 39-37 with 15:53 remaining and later Newbill drove to the basket to tie the game at 39. Ross Travis scored to give the Nittany Lions a 41-39 lead with 12:28 left to play.
Stephens hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead and Errick Peck scored to make it 44-41 midway through the second half.
In the first half, Purdue hit five shots from behind the arc in the first half - Stephens made three of them.
He made one early in the game to give Purdue a 7-3 lead after Donovan Jack made a 3-pointer to put Penn State within a point.
Purdue's Jay Simpson scored on a putback before Penn State's Brandon Taylor hit a 3 to make it 9-6. Stephens answered with another 3-pointer give Purdue a 12-6 lead.
Stephens later made another 3 to give Purdue an 18-9 lead with 11:25 left in the first half before the Nittany Lions made a run to tie the game.
Penn State scored six 3-pointers in the first half.
The long shots helped the Nittany Lions stay close with the Boilermakers until Frazier scored a layup to tie the game at 26 with 3:56 remaining in the first half.
Frazier's shot capped off a 9-0 run by the Nittany Lions. Travis and Newbill scored baskets and Donovon Jack made a 3-pointer.
Penn State took lead the lead when Frazier made two free throws with 2:05 left in the half to put the Nittany Lions up 29-28 lead.
Smotherman made two free throws with 25 seconds left to give Purdue the lead again, and later completed a three-point play when he was fouled on a fast-break layup. The Nittany Lions scored just before the end of the half which ended with Purdue leading 35-33.