Loving leads Ohio State to 75-73 win over Illinois

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Marc Loving scored 27 points, including two late free throws, to lead Ohio State to a 75-73 win over Illinois on Sunday.

The Buckeyes (10-5, 2-0 Big Ten) have won six straight.

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 Michael 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 Jalen 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 Malcolm 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.

Hill, Kendrick Nunn, Coleman-Lands and Finke all had 14 points.

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