By Lexi Shurilla, fightingillini.com staff writer | @SusanAlexisS

Recap | Highlights | Photos | Infographic | Box Score | Printable Box Score | Notes | Game Capsule Malcolm Hill's lay-up in the final seconds was the dagger in the Fighting Illini's 60-58 win over Penn State Saturday at State Farm Center. The game-winner capped an amazing performance for the sophomore (27 points, 10-15 FG), helping Illinois improve to 10-1 at home this season and 3-0 in games decided by five points or less. $(document).ready(function(){ $(".photo").colorbox({rel:'photo'}); });  Click to enlarge B1G Dogfight Following a bye, Illinois returned to State Farm Center Saturday to face Penn State. There were a lot of fouls called in the early minutes as both teams were mix-matching defenses and it was hard for players to get into a rhythm, but the Illini were able to jump out to a 13-5 advantage and carry the lead into halftime, 30-26. After a hard-fought loss at Minnesota a week ago that saw 21 lead changes, Illinois and Penn State exchanged the lead 16 times throughout the game. The Nittany Lions struggled to hang on to the ball as turnovers became an issue with the pesky Illini defense racking up 12 steals. PSU ended with 19 turnovers for the game, which the Illini turned into 15 points. Both Kendrick Nunn (5) and Nnanna Egwu (4) nabbed career highs in steals; Nunn equaled the most steals by an Illini since Luther Head had six steals against Iowa in 2005. With baskets sparse in the opening minutes of the second half, the Illini relied on sophomore Malcolm Hill, who had 13 points in the first half and was up to 20 points five minutes into the second. "I think we made a lot of physical plays throughout the whole game," Hill said. "People were sacrificing their bodies, making it hard [on Penn State] and pressuring the ball. I think we've been slacking on that a little bit and I think we've been doing a better job now later in the season, so we've just got to keep getting better at that." Illinois' shooting from the field wasn't its strong suit, but the Orange and Blue shot over 50 percent on three-pointers for the third time this season, finishing 8-of-15 from downtown. State Farm Center was going nuts when Hill kicked off a 9-2 Illini run midway through the second half. Penn State had the 48-45 lead with 10:37 left in the game, but Hill drained a three on the next possession to tie it up. Over the next two minutes Maverick Morgan was efficient on the floor with a bucket to get Illinois back to a tie (50-50). He then followed his basket up with a block at the other end, which led to a PSU turnover and Morgan taking two free-throws to give Illinois the lead, 52-50. Illinois hit its final 10 free throws to finish 12-of-17 (70 percent) from the charity stripe. Hill continued to muscle his way to the basket getting Illinois a 56-53 lead with seven minutes to go, and the back and forth contest continued till the end of the game. "We got contributions from everybody that played," Illinois head coach John Groce said. "Had we not, we wouldn't have been able to win the game. It was a total team effort and I'm really proud of the poise and composure our guys showed late to make big plays and give us a chance to win the game." Top of the Hill Malcolm Hill goes up for the game-winning lay-up in the final seconds of Saturday's win (Photo Credit: Cary Frye) Taking a page out of the Tracy Abrams playbook, Illinois took its junkyard dog mentality down to the last second. While Egwu had a quiet shooting game, with less than a minute remaining he made one of the most important shots of the day when he hit a game-tying baby hook with 57 seconds remaining to even the game at 58. Penn State had the ball and the opportunity to take the lead on their next possession; however, instead PSU's Devin Foster was charged with an offensive foul on a moving screen, giving the ball back to the Illini with 33 seconds left in the game. The Illini took the possession down to the final seconds, and put the ball in Hill's hot hands for the game winning opportunity. The Nittany Lions double-teamed the sophomore, but Hill battled his way toward the hoop. His toughness was too much for the defenders as he bullied his way to the rim, giving Illinois the lead with 4.4 seconds remaining in the game. Penn State had a chance in the final seconds to tie it, but D.J. Newbill was unable to make the layup through Egwu's long arms and Illinois claimed the win, 60-58. "I was just going to take what the defense gave me," Hill said. "I didn't just want to throw up anything, especially with two guys on me. If anything, just attack and try to create something off of it. I don't really like to shoot bailout threes and twos. I'm not really comfortable with that. I just try to attack and see what the defense gives me." » WATCH HILL'S GAME-WINNER: Courtside | A-Section | High Angle | BTN Hill's special day finished one shy of his career high, tallying a game-high 27 points, including the game-winning basket. He totaled a career-best 10 field goals (10-of-15) and equaled his most threes as an Illini with four (4-of-5). "He's gotten better," Groce said of Hill. "He's gotten bigger, stronger and more experienced. It's not always perfect. I think he's done a pretty good job in a couple games here of late but he's also learned from things this season, not just last season. "Sometimes the best teacher is experience. Certainly last year was a part of that. I think some of the things that happened early this year, not only early in nonconference but early in Big Ten play, have also helped teach him and he's found a way to grow and get better."