Penn State was given virtually no chance down 7 points to No. 12 Illinois with under 40 seconds left. The Nittany Lions, though, pulled off the improbable in the final 77 seconds to notch a shocking 90-89 victory.

Jameel Brown got a rebound to give PSU another possession, trailing 89-82 with 37 seconds on the clock. Brown drained a 3-pointer that was the start of an incredible comeback.

Brown then got a steal with 29 seconds left that led to a Puff Johnson layup, cutting the score to 89-87. Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins missed two free throws. Zach Hicks got the defensive rebound.

With 4.2 seconds left, Hicks was fouled by Coleman. Hicks made all 3 free throws to put PSU up 90-89. Justin Harmon got a good look, but his shot missed at the buzzer.

As expected, fans stormed at the court at Rec Hall in celebration.

Nick Kern was Penn State’s leading scorer with 22 points, making 10-of-17 field-goal attempts and 2 free throws. Hicks was PSU’s leading rebounder with 8 boards. Ace Baldwin Jr., meanwhile, had a double-double of 10 points and 12 assists.

Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. was the game’s high scorer with 35 points. Shannon was 10-of-18 on field-goal attempts, with a pair of 3-pointers while making 13-of-19 free throws.

The Illini dominated the glass with 49-25 rebounds but also committed 18 turnovers to PSU’s 6.

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