Zack Edey and 3-point shooters help No. 1 Purdue rebound with 95-78 rout of Penn State

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue fans treated Zach Edey to a pregame standing ovation in commemoration of him becoming the school’s second player with 1,000 career rebounds.

They serenaded him again after another milestone moment.

The reigning national player of the year scored 30 points, grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds and watched his teammates make 11 3-pointers Saturday as No. 1 Purdue routed Penn State, 95-78.

“Not many people can say they’ve had 30 and 20 multiple times in their career at Purdue,” Edey said after achieving the feat for the second time. “I do get to say that, so it’s a pretty surreal feeling.”

For Edey, this was as impressive a game as he has played. In the first half, he had 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks while going 6 of 6 from the field. He finished 10 of 12 from the field and produced just the third 30-20 game with three blocks and three rebounds.

And he had plenty of help.

The Boilermakers added eight 3s in the first half as they took a 56-36 halftime lead. Lance Jones added 14 points, Fletcher Loyer had 11 and Braden Smith matched his career high with 11 assists.

Purdue (15-2, 4-2 Big Ten) rebounded from Tuesday’s loss to Nebraska with its 10th consecutive home win and its eighth straight over the Nittany Lions.

“The big guy played great today. Thirty and 20, that’s Wilt Chamberlain-type numbers,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. “We just didn’t have an answer for him.”

Nick Kern Jr. had a career-high 18 points to lead Penn State, and Kanye Clary added 16. The Nittany Lions (8-9, 2-4) have lost three of four overall.

But this was a complete a mismatch, and Purdue took full advantage after the first five minutes.

Camden Heide’s 3 with 15 minutes, 13 seconds left in the half gave Purdue an 11-10 lead and spurred a 31-5 run, forcing the Nittany Lions to take a timeout twice. When the run ended, the Boilermakers led 39-15.

The Nittany Lions responded with a flurry of 3s late in the first half but never got closer than 14.

“He’s here and he’s, obviously, a special player, but he’s also one of those guys,” coach Matt Painter said of Edey. “If you’ve faced him, he’s hard to prepare for. You can watch him on film, but you don’t realize how strong he is.”

It has been an up-and-down first season for Rhoades and his revamped Penn State roster. At times, the Nittany Lions have shown promise. But against this size, depth, experience and talent, they didn’t have a chance.

The Boilermakers’ four-week reign at No. 1 might end despite four of the top five ranked teams losing before the weekend began. Can they extend the nation’s longest active streak of top-five rankings to 27?

Penn State will try to rebound and hand No. 15 Wisconsin its first conference loss Tuesday in State College.

Purdue visits archrival Indiana on Tuesday.