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Smith shoots Purdue past Penn State

Jan 6, 2011 - 4:35 AM University Park, PA (Sports Network) - Junior guard Ryne Smith made five three-pointers en route to a career-high 20 points, as the 11th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 83-68, in a Big Ten battle.

JaJuan Johnson added 15 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks for the Boilermakers (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who have won nine in a row since their lone loss of the season against Richmond on November 27.

Lewis Jackson donated 17 points for Purdue, which has also won 10 in a row on the road.

"This was a difficult win for us today," Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. "We knew it was going to be tough. You're just proud of your players for the mental toughness because that's what it takes to go on the road and be able to battle the crowd and be able to make shots and execute and do a lot of the little things. It's a good notch for us in terms of trying to move towards making improvements and getting better."

Talor Battle and Jermaine Marshall each scored 18 points for the Nittany Lions (8-6, 1-2), who have lost four of five.

Jeff Brooks chipped in with 15 points and 10 boards for Penn State, which started a treacherous slate on Wednesday that sees the team play five straight top-25 foes.

With the score tied at 14-14 near the midway mark of the first half, Purdue scored nine of the next 11 points. Travis Carroll's layup gave the Boilermakers a 23-16 lead with 5:44 left.

Down by eight, 29-21, moments later, Penn State ripped off six straight points. Battle capped the surge with a slam to get the Nittany Lions within two, but Jackson made a jumper before the half for a 31-27 Purdue margin.

The Boilermakers started the second half on an 11-4 run to create some distance. Johnson tallied five points during the stretch, which Jackson ended with a layup for a 42-31 advantage with 15:18 to play.

Holding a 47-40 lead, Purdue put the game away with a 14-4 burst. Smith had eight points during the flurry, including two free throws with 8:52 remaining to make it 61-44.

"It was obviously physical but I've been waiting a long time so it was fun, but at the same time we lost," Marshall said. "I think it built my confidence a lot. That was the best part about it but it's kind of upsetting that we lost."

Game Notes

Purdue leads the all-time series, 25-10, and has won the last five meetings between the two teams. The Boilermakers have also won four of the last five contests at the Bryce Jordan Center...The Nittany Lions fell to 7-38 vs. ranked opponents under coach Ed DeChellis...Purdue made 25-of-41 free throws, while Penn State went 13-of-20 from the charity stripe.