WEST LAFAYETTE — Even when Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan made a rare mistake, he erased it.
After grabbing a defensive rebound, the sophomore forward committed a turnover. He blocked the ensuing shot and dished a sweet pass on the other end to Carsen Edwards for a three-point play.
Swanigan had an exceptional all-around game Saturday, helping No. 21 Purdue dominate for a 77-52 Big Ten win over Penn State at Mackey Arena. The 6-foot-9 standout recorded his 16th double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, adding four assists in 29 minutes.
Swanigan’s end-to-end sequence capped a 13-0 run that gave the Boilermakers (16-4, 5-2) a 37-20 lead with 3:27 left in the first half.
“I was just making up and keeping playing,” Swanigan said. “I’m not dwelling on a turnover and giving up an easy shot. I’m going to contest it. Then we got in transition and Carsen was near the basket and I just passed to him. I just made a play.”
Purdue dictated the game with a series of runs as Swanigan also nailed a transition 3-pointer after the Nittany Lions (11-9, 3-4) closed within 24-20.
After Penn State opened the scoring, the Boilermakers used a 15-0 surge in less than five minutes to take control 15-2. Vincent Edwards scored six of his 10 points during that stretch.
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“Our coaches said we could get a lot of things in transition,” Vincent Edwards said. “I was just trying to attack.”
Purdue coach Matt Painter liked what he saw from Edwards, a junior forward who also had seven rebounds and three assists.
“He did a great job starting the game,” Painter said. “He’s a very versatile guy who can do a lot of things.”
The Boilermakers’ third key run, an 8-0 spurt early in the second half, gave them their largest lead at 51-25 with 16:26 left. Swanigan scored three straight baskets, and then fed to Isaac Haas for a layup.
After losing on the road at Iowa, Purdue responded with lopsided back-to-back home wins against Illinois and Penn State. The Boilermakers play four of their next five games on the road.
“It’s just coming in and being ready to play,” Vincent Edwards said. “Our focus and goal is to win the Big Ten.”
Carsen Edwards added 13 points and Dakota Mathias had 10.
Josh Reaves had 12 points for the Lions, who shot 31.3 percent (20-for-64). The Boilermakers held Penn State leading scorer Shep Garner to six points, less than half of his 12.6 average.
“It’s not Shep’s favorite place, for sure,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “They did the same thing last year.
“Give the guards for Purdue credit. They got in his shorts and made life hard for him.”
Crown Point graduate Spike Albrecht continued to round back into form, playing 17 minutes for his highest total since returning from his back injury.
Albrecht had five points — matching his production from his 15 minutes Tuesday against Illinois — four assists and two rebounds.
The graduate transfer drained a deep 3-pointer against the Lions after he had shot 0-for-3 in his first five games back.
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