Breakdown: Purdue's win over Penn State

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One of Matt Painter's key barometers for teams is how they fare when they don't shoot well.

How did Purdue shoot on Sunday in its 80-72 win over Penn State?

"We sucked at shooting today from three," junior Sasha Stefanovic said after scoring a team-high 15. "It was really bad."

Six-of-32, to be exact. A few days after opening 7-of-9 from long range at Indiana, the Boilermakers — playing their first home game in more than three weeks — opened 0-for-14 Sunday.

But ...

"It's a thing you've got to fight through," Stefanovic continued. "When shots aren't falling, what kind of team are you? What kind of identity do you have?"

Purdue got positive answers to those questions, shaking off a well-rested and highly energized Nittany Lion team that was playing its first game since Dec. 30. Having been idled for so long, Penn State was either going to come out highly rusty or highly energized.

It was actually both: Energetically rusty.

The Lions grabbed four offensive rebounds on their first possession, all off missed threes. The rebounds represented the energy; the four straight missed threes may have represented the rust.

That energy was something Purdue had to match, and struggled to on the glass at times, as Penn State scored 29 second-chance points off 23 offensive rebounds.

In the face of that, the Boilermakers had to persevere in order to run their win streak to three.

Mason Gillis loomed large.

Purdue was down by a point in the final seconds of the first half when Gillis bailed out a broken Boilermaker possession with a tough three-pointer. The redshirt freshman then made another three to open the second half, then after a Brandon Newman (13 points) bucket, assisted on a score by Trevion Williams. Finally, Gillis battled for an offensive rebound, preserving a Purdue possession that resulted in a three by Newman.

Suddenly, the lid was off the basket and the Boilermakers' 10-0 run cracked open a game -in which the lead had changed hands eight times before halftime.

"He provided a huge impact for us," Stefanovic said of Gillis.

So did Gillis' classmate, Newman, who contributed mightily to that Boilermaker run and was one of Purdue's foremost energy providers himself, blocking a pair of three-pointers at the defensive end, for example, and running down a run-out off his own turnover for a block from behind.

"It was the game," Newman said of the need for energy.

After halftime, Purdue found answers to Penn State's pressure on the ball and the zone the Lions had taken on.

"Collectively we just settled in and got our second wind," Newman said.

After Newman blocked a three — leading to a shot-clock violation on Penn State — Trevion WIlliams nailed a hook shot with 9:25 left to play to put the Boilermakers up 17, their biggest lead.

Purdue did have to weather a flurry of late Myeron Jones threes and a slew of offensive rebounds from there on out. Penn State got within four with 16 seconds left, but ran out of time. Eric Hunter (14 points) and Gillis iced the game at the foul line, sparing Purdue any real damage from Penn State's onslaught on the offensive glass.

"We have to do a better job boxing out," Painter said.

Painter figured his team would be "sharper" coming home after four straight road games, but its roughness around the edges against the Nittany Lions wouldn't have been so apparent had the Boilermakers just shot like normal to start the game.

"We're a good three-point shooting team," Painter said. "It didn't look like it today, but we are."

Purdue wasn't today, though, and still won against an athletic and dynamic team that really pushed the Boilermakers.

"We can do other things than shoot the three ball," Gillis said. "... We like to shoot threes and we can, but when don't (make them) we can sit down and play defense and execute our offensive plays to get easier buckets."

Gillis had to love this sort of game, a total rockfight in which offensive rebounding was the game's most important element.

"I love physical games," said Gillis, who scored 12 points. "It's the type of player I am. When it goes like that and there's lots of balls coming off the rim, it's fun to go get them."

No game this season has punctuated Gillis' value more than this one.

His grinding on the glass and for loose balls was hugely important for Purdue. His total of only five rebounds deceives. He made really significant plays just chasing the ball as he has all season. He grabbed a contested rebound at the very end that pretty much put the game away. He was fouled chasing rebounds a few times, too.

But his offensive skill also came to the forefront. His back-to-back threes bookending halftime changed the game, he continues to do an excellent job as an entry man with the post players, and he was 6-of-6 at the foul line, including important ones late.

"He checks a box for us when you talk about a guy being physical, laying it on the line and playing hard," Painter said. "Some of those hustle plays — those grimy, gritty plays — really helped us."

Trevion Williams has been playing so well, and part of that's been his ability to stay out of foul trouble.

Alas, it got the Boilermaker big man vs. Penn State, as he played only six minutes in the first half.

He finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes, though.

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