UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 5 (UPI) -- Talor Battle dribbled the length of the floor and scored with .3 seconds remaining Thursday night, giving Penn State a 64-63 win over No. 23 Illinois.
The home fans rushed onto the court to celebrate the victory, which likely earned the Nittany Lions a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois owned a 10-point lead with 5 minutes to go, but scored only three points the rest of the way.
Penn State clawed to within one on David Jackson's two free throws with 59 seconds left. Illinois then missed a shot and Penn State suffered a turnover, giving the Illini a chance to expand its lead at the foul line.
Mike Davis, however, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 chance and Battle grabbed the rebound. He weaved his way between defenders, got into the lane and tossed up an off-balanced shot with two Illinois players attempting to block the effort.
After two time outs extended the drama, Illinois missed a desperation 3-point try at the buzzer.
Stanley Pringle led Penn State (21-9, 10-7 Big Ten) with 20 points and Battle had 15. Illinois (23-8, 11-7) got 16 from Demetri McCamey.
