Breakdown: Purdue's win at Penn State

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A live wire himself, Jaden Ivey felt a distinct energy humming through his entire team prior to tip-off Friday night at Penn State. Trevion Williams says he felt that same energy for days prior to the Boilermakers' final road game, or trip outside the state of Indiana, for that matter.

Friday night, everyone saw that energy, as Purdue harnessed it to the tune of a surprisingly decisive 73-52 rout of the Nittany Lions, a team who'd made the Boilermakers sweat, and then some, in Mackey Arena earlier in the season.

"Before the game, our energy was amazing," Ivey said. "We were all so hyped to play."

"We had a focus these last few practices leading into this game," Williams added.

It looked like it, as Purdue rolled offensively from the outset, and asserted itself defensively, and often all of the above, as the Boilermakers menaced Penn State's passing lanes, denying routine catches and generating an inordinate amount of steals, leading to numerous fast-break opportunities, led by Ivey, who totaled 14 points, five rebounds, four blocks and three steals in another star-turn sort of performance. He was the best player on the floor.

Defense fueled offense.

Purdue shot 50 percent for the game, but that's as deceiving a metric as the Boilermakers' final point total of 72, only 13 of which came after the lead hit 20 with 11-and-a-half minutes to go.

"We could have kept scoring," Ivey said.

At halftime, after Purdue had closed the first half on a defense-driven 8-0 run, Ivey told his teammates that he felt they were part of one of the best teams in the Big Ten, "if not the best."

On this night, they certainly looked the part, as the Boilermakers left not a shred of doubt in earning another Quad 1 victory; extended their current winning streak to three games; and will finish the regular season with a .500 road record in the most challenging conference in college basketball, playing four freshmen extensively and having endured numerous personnel disruptions.

"You want to keep building," Coach Matt Painter says.

Purdue does seem to be clicking, particularly with one very important piece seemingly falling back into place.

Sasha Stefanovic doesn't really want to suggest he's back now following his bout with COVID-19, because to suggest he's back would be to admit he ever went away, at least in a basketball sense.

Since returning from corona-exile, Stefanovic seemed to believe — perhaps stubbornly, perhaps not — that he could pick up where he left off prior to his 17 days in the hole. Up until the final eight minutes at Nebraska, the results suggested otherwise.

Then, those four threes in Lincoln.

Then, a return to the starting lineup. He replaced Brandon Newman in the first five at Penn State, Newman previously being the only Boilermaker who'd started every game this season.

"He's so steady for us," Painter says of Stefanovic returning to the starting lineup. "... He just balances things out for us."

That's no indictment of Newman, who's had a Big Ten All-Freshman Team sort of season, but rather an endorsement of Stefanovic.

"It's a good problem to have," Painter said, "when you have more than five guys who can start."

Again, Stefanovic didn't want to say he's back.

But he's back.

The junior led all scorers with 16 points at Penn State. Ten of those points came off something other than three-pointers. When Penn State ran out at him, he went past Penn State, getting to the rim for a few difficult finishes and working his way to the foul line. He finished with three assists and a pair of steals, too.

"I've felt good for a while," Stefanovic says, citing "opportunity" as the foundation of his productivity at Nebraska and Penn State.

Regardless, Purdue's hoping to build up to a peak come March. For it to be the best version of itself at the proper time, this most recent version of Stefanovic is a must.

"Every game," Ivey said, "he's improving."

Purdue stifled Penn State, which shot 34 percent in the first half and 36 in the second and barely cracked 50. It came in averaging more than 71 in Big Ten play.

"We just tried to take them out of what they like to do," Stefanovic said, "and the shots they like to get."

After a 5-of-10 start, Penn State finished on a 1-of-19 slide from three-point territory, while the Boilermakers weaponized the Lions' offensive failures against them.

"What we did on defense, that led to our offense," said Ivey, who scored himself a breakaway dunk off one of his three steals. "That set a tone for our offense."

Central to Purdue's defensive success, though, too: Rebounding.

Last time the Boilermakers met Penn State, Penn State collected 23 offensive rebounds, 10 of them from big man John Harrar alone. Friday night, Harrar totaled exactly zero offensive rebounds, as did Penn State's other four starters. The Lions scored an inconsequential three second-chance points.

Purdue outrebounded Penn State 42-28, aligned with the two teams' respective shooting percentages.

This was truly a total team effort, as it was Aaron Wheeler — as part of another strong game, with five points, seven rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes — led the Boilermakers on the backboard, while Williams, Zach Edey and Mason Gillis totaled five each.

Williams attributed the rebounding effort to that energy he observed heading into his upstart team's final road game.

"It's such a big part of the game no matter who you play," Painter said of rebounding. "But It was great to see the response (to the first game)."

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