Purdue Boilermakers vs Penn St. Nittany Lions Match Player Stats On Feb 26, 2021

Sasha Stefanovic scored 16 points in his return to the starting lineup and Jaden Ivey added 14 to lift Purdue to a 73-52 victory over Penn State in Big Ten action on Friday at University Park, Pa.

Stefanovic made 5-of-9 shots from the floor as he continues to work his way back after testing positive for COVID-19 following the Boilermakers' 67-65 win at Ohio State on Jan. 19. Stefanovic missed his team's next three games and went 0-for-10 from the floor in the following three before scoring 14 points in Purdue's 75-58 victory at Nebraska on Saturday.

Ivey added a career-high four blocks and three steals for the Boilermakers (16-8 overall, 11-6 Big Ten), who shot 50 percent from the floor (26-of-52) to post their third straight win and ninth in 12 outings.

Purdue's Trevion Williams collected 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in the victory. He had a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) and Stefanovic added 15 points in the Boilermakers' 80-72 win over Penn State on Jan. 17.

Myreon Jones scored 11 points and Jamari Wheeler, John Harrar and Myles Dread each had nine for the Nittany Lions (8-13, 5-12), who have lost five of their last six games.

Purdue made 10 of its first 13 shots to seize a 24-13 lead, with Ivey scoring seven points during his team's 13-2 run. Ivey drilled a 3-pointer from well beyond the line before capping the run with an emphatic dunk and short jumper.

Dread made back-to-back 3-pointers to highlight an 8-0 run for Penn State, however the Boilermakers scored 17 of the final 22 points to claim a 41-26 advantage at intermission. Stefanovic scored seven of those points and set up Zach Edey for a jumper with seven seconds to play.

Purdue essentially put the game away by scoring 10 straight points to secure a 58-36 lead with 13:18 to play in the second half. Stefanovic highlighted the surge with a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer before Aaron Wheeler connected from beyond the arc.

--Field Level Media