STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Purdue had to grind on out Saturday afternoon at Penn State, holding off the Nittany Lions 74-67.

Our post-game analysis and Wrap Video.

Purdue doesn't win this game without another excellent performance from forward Mason Gillis, who is growing Into one of this team's most valuable — and best — players.

Set aside for a second the fact that Gillis needed just five field goal attempts to score 14 points, off-the-charts efficiency and not the first time this season he's done something like that. Gillis was 3-for-4 from three-point range, with an additional three-point play.

Set aside for a second the clutch three he made and the confidence he shot it with off a pass fake.

The play he made right before halftime was sort of a consummate Gillis moment, where he salvaged Purdue's last possession by getting fouled on a putback attempt.

Matt Painter says all the time that in Big Ten play, stealing points matters so much, and that was the very definition of it right there, an energy play heading into the locker room that capped successfully a stretch Purdue played with atypical lineups. That's not the first time Gillis has profoundly impacted a game by just getting fouled chasing an offensive rebound and, most likely it won't be the last.

Trevion Williams was sort of classic Trevion Williams at Penn State, but Mason Gillis was the Boilermakers' MVP today for no one reason.