COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Four Fighting Illini scored 14 points in a defensive slugfest against Ohio State, but two late free throws sealed the game for the Buckeyes in a 75-73 Illinois loss on Sunday.
Malcolm Hill, Kendrick Nunn, Jalen Coleman-Lands and Michael Finke all had 14 points.
Marc Loving scored 27 points for Ohio State.
Loving scored six straight points to carry Ohio State from a 61-59 deficit to a 65-61 lead with 2:21 to play thanks to a dunk, a 3-pointer and a foul shot.
OSU held a five-point lead when Finke's tip-in made it 70-67 with 23.3 seconds left. Jae-Sean Tate's slam with 12.6 seconds left made 72-67 before Coleman-Lands hit a trey to pull Illinois (8-7, 0-2) within 72-70.
A pair of Loving free throws upped the score to 74-70 but Hill hit another 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left. Loving made one of two foul shots and a desperation shot from midcourt by Hill at the buzzer missed.
