Thursday’s game between Illinois and Penn State was far from pretty. In the end, the Illini clamped down on defense down the stretch to secure a 60-55 win and keep hopes of sharing the regular-season B1G title alive.

A lackluster first half of action in Champaign saw the Nittany Lions carry a 30-29 lead into halftime. The second half turned into a back-and-forth affair until late in the game.

With 6 minutes left in the game, Dallion Johnson hit a 3-point field goal to give Penn State a 52-50 lead. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they would not score again until 6.9 seconds remaining.

By then, the Illini had gone on an 8-0 run to steal the momentum and the game. Coleman Hawkins sealed the win for Illinois by going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the closing moments of the game.

For the game, Illinois shot 36% from the floor with 3 players in double figures. Da’Monte Williams led the way with 14 points while Kofi Cockburn was held mostly in check with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Trent Frazier added 10 points for the Illini.

Jalen Pickett led Penn State with a game-high 18 points. Seth Lundy added 11 points but the bench for the Nittany Lions produced just 7 points while shooting 1-for-7 from 3-point range.

With the win, Illinois still has an outside shot to share the regular-season B1G title with Wisconsin. For that to happen, the Illini need to beat Iowa with Wisconsin losing to Nebraska.