JaJuan Johnson Buzzer-Beater Propels Purdue Past Penn State

With 5.4 seconds remaining, the Purdue Boilermakers faced a home loss to Penn State. Trailing 62-61 after a big 3-pointer from Penn State's David Jackson, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter looked to his senior big man. JaJuan Johnson took the inbounds pass and coolly nailed an 18-footer. No. 14 Purdue (16-3, 5-1 Big Ten) had survived with a 63-62 win, snapping a two-game losing streak which had followed 10 straight wins.

Penn State (10-8, 3-4) likely leaves Lafayette with a pretty rotten taste in its mouth. Not only saddled with the loss, the Nittany Lions have a legitimate complaint with an officiating decision late in the game. On what could have been Purdue's final possession, E'Twaun Moore drove down the lane and lost control of the ball in traffic. It went out of bounds and was awarded to Purdue. Replays showed that Moore got a hand on the ball as it was on the way out. If he didn't touch it last, he certainly touched it at nearly the exact same moment as the Penn State defender. The ensuing play was Johnson's game-winner.

How It Was Won: Aside from the game-winner, Purdue won the way it usually does: on the backs of Moore and Johnson. Moore had a big first half, as Purdue built a 14-point lead, before slowing down in the second. He ended with 16 points and five assists. Johnson was a monster, as usual, pouring in 25 points, including the big shot.

How It Was Lost: Talor Battle is one of the best players in the history of Penn State. If the Nittany Lions are going to pull off an upset like this, they need more from him than a 33-percent (5-of-15) shooting effort. He was hounded all night, particularly by Kelsey Barlow in big spots. Jeff Brooks had 19 points, making seven of his 10 shot attempts, but Penn State didn't get the big plays from its leader.

Key Stat: Johnson and Moore combined for 41 of Purdue's 63 points, taking 33 of its 54 shots. Basically, it's a two-man show on that end of the floor. I've expressed in the past that the Boilers would still remain at least a Sweet 16 team with this roster as currently constructed, but I'm starting to waver. It seems like good defensive teams will find a way to shut at least part of the duo down and exploit the rest of the players on the floor.

Where to From Here: Penn State wraps up a stretch of facing five consecutive ranked teams. The Nittany Lions went 2-3 in the stretch, and took No. 1 Ohio State to the wire before this close loss. Hosting Iowa next Wednesday should be a nice reprieve for a team clearly capable of playing with anyone in the nation -- which is weird, considering it lost to Maine Dec. 21. Don't count on an NCAA tournament visit at all, but this could be a nice choice for a few more upsets this season.

Purdue will need to play better than it has the past three games to come out of the upcoming gauntlet well. The Boilers' next four games: vs. No. 17 Michigan State, at No. 1 Ohio State, vs. No. 15 Minnesota, at No. 18 Wisconsin. Of course, if they get hot and win all four of those, that's quite a strong resume for March.