Penn State Goes Double OT To Beat Illinois

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Published on March 7 2016 7:22 am
Last Updated on March 7 2016 7:22 am

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Brandon Taylor had plenty to smile about after capping his best season in a Penn State uniform as the Nittany Lions secured their first ever first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament with an 86-79 double-overtime win over Illinois on Sunday.

''I think we had fresh legs for the most part,'' Taylor said. ''I just think that every huddle we had was positive.''

Shep Garner scored 22 points and Taylor added 21 and 11 rebounds for the Nittany Lions (16-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who snapped a two-game losing streak and set a mark for their most conference wins under head coach Patrick Chambers.

Josh Reaves added 13 points and Donovon Jack chipped in 10 for the Nittany Lions who saw a 10-point lead turn into a 1-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.

Malcolm Hill scored 24 of his 39 points in the second half and added 13 rebounds for the Fighting Illini (13-18, 5-13).

Khalid Lewis added 10 points for the Illini who outscored Penn State 22-12 over the final 8:49 of regulation.

Penn State led for 16:13 of the first half including the first 9:14 but never by more than six points. A shootout ensued down the stretch as the teams swapped the lead six times before Garner nailed his third 3-pointer and converted a soaring layup in the closing minute to give Penn State a 37-36 halftime lead.

Garner finished the first half with 11 points and made three of Penn State's five 3-pointers.
 
Reaves, who set a career high in points, started hot on the backend, too. He scored six of his eight first-half points and added two blocks in the first 5:30. But his minutes were cut after drawing his second foul with 5:13 left.

With Reaves in foul trouble early, Taylor got going midway through the second half. He ran off seven-straight points, capped by a turnaround jumper through traffic that put Penn State up 53-43 with 12:15 left.