Penn State men’s basketball (9-7, 0-5 Big Ten) could not complete the upset against No. 5 Purdue (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten) in a 93-85 loss in West Lafayette on Saturday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions kept it close with the Boilermakers for much of the game, but for the third straight game, they could not upset a ranked opponent. Freddie Dilione V led the way with 25 points, and Melih Tunca added 14 points off the bench.

How It Happened

For the second straight game, star freshman point guard Kayden Mingo could not go for the Nittany Lions. Head coach Mike Rhoades went with Dilione, Dominick Stewart, Eli Rice, Josh Reed, and Ivan Jurić as the starters against the Boilermakers. Rice opened the scoring with a three-pointer on Penn State’s second possession of the afternoon.

Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith responded for Purdue with back-to-back buckets to give their side a 5-3 lead. Dillione and Reed connected with buckets on Penn State’s end of the court as both teams traded points in the opening minutes. Purdue led 9-8 at the first media timeout of the game.

Smith went on a run for the Boilermakers out of the timeout to stretch the lead, but Tunca responded for Rhoades’ team with a triple after coming off the bench. Reed tied the game at 17 after drilling two shots at the free-throw line. Saša Ciani and Jurić scored five quick points for Penn State to counter Smith’s 5-0 run for himself to tie the ballgame at 22 a few minutes later.

Coming out of the under-eight timeout, Jurić gave the blue and white the lead off a post move and an easy layup. Penn State continued to rebound well on the defensive end of the court to keep the game close. Dilione drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key, and Penn State had a five-point lead with under six minutes to go in the first half.

Purdue regained the momentum with its high-powered offense and got a few stops on the defensive side of the court. The Boilermakers led 33-29 in a matter of a few seconds. Rhoades was forced to call a timeout to stop the run. Tunca banked in a deep triple from the wing to stop the home team’s 11-0 run. Rice rattled in a three as well, and Penn State remained close in the final minutes of the first half.

Dilione turned defense into offense for Penn State and flushed home a dunk after getting the open-court steal at the other end. A highly efficient first half ended with Purdue clinging to a 45-44 lead, with the Nittany Lions looking for their first Big Ten win of the season.

The Nittany Lions are keeping it close with the No. 5 team in the country! pic.twitter.com/1DEc6wdSKS

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 10, 2026

Smith continued to shoot the lights out to start the second frame with a corner three to extend the Purdue lead. Penn State began the half cold from the field, and Rhoades called a timeout with his team trailing 55-47. Jurić hit two shots from the charity stripe after the timeout.

Tunca stopped another Purdue run with a tough bucket in the paint before the under-sixteen media timeout. Ciani converted an and-one out of the timeout to cut the deficit to seven points. Fletcher Loyer drilled an open three, and Tunca scored a two-pointer on the ensuing possessions for both teams. Loyer scored again, and Purdue’s lead grew to 65-55.

Out of the under-twelve media break, Floyer converted his and-one, and Mason Blackwood scored a baseline layup for Penn State to keep the Boilermakers’ lead in reach. Penn State could not get any stops on the defensive end to close the gap on Purdue with under 10 minutes to play in the game. Jurić bullied his way into the paint to keep the Nittany Lions offense rolling.

Dilione showed off his offensive skillset to get another bucket to continue his strong day. After another Rhoades timeout, Dilione went back to the rime and Penn State trailed 76-69 with seven minutes to play. Rice found his stroke from distance again to knock down an open three-pointer from the wing to cut into the lead, but once again, the defense could not get a stop.

Purdue flexed its muscles on the ensuing possession, and its lead was its largest of the game at 14 with just over four minutes left. Blackwood knocked down a contested three-pointer a few possessions later, and the lead was back within nine points. Purdue led 88-79 at the final media timeout of the game.

Dilione hit another three for the Nittany Lions, but time had run out on Penn State’s upset bid. Purdue added one more bucket before the end of the game, as so did Dilione, and Purdue escaped with a 93-85 win.

Takeaways

• Bench points were able to keep the Nittany Lions in the game early against the Boilermakers. Penn State had 14 first-half points from its bench, coming from three different players.
• In its last two games, Penn State’s defensive rebounding has been much better. Being able to keep the opposing teams off the offensive glass has been a major reason why the Nittany Lions have kept it close with some of the best teams in the country.
• Purdue’s best players showed up for one of the top teams in all of college basketball. Smith and Loyer combined for 43 points in the Boilermaker’s backcourt.

What’s Next?

Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center for a battle with UCLA at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14. The game will be broadcast on FS1.