CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Penn State and Illinois combined for a brutal 52 fouls Thursday night. And 27 turnovers.

All of that was just fine with Illini coach John Groce, who watched his team win a defensive slugging match, 64-59, for the team’s fifth straight win in a run that’s revived its once-fading NCAA tournament hopes.

The Nittany Lions have lost 14 straight, but you wouldn’t know it to watch them Thursday at Illinois (20-8, 7-7 Big Ten), Groce said.

“They just wouldn’t go away. They kept biting,” he said. “They made some big 3s late, kind of closed the gap. They fought. I loved their attitude, their disposition, their passion.”

For a Nittany Lions (8-18, 0-14) team that hasn’t won since late December, even a close loss was just another loss. And a frustrating one at that.

“The fouls ruined the flow of the game. They shot 36 free throws; you have to understand how many fouls that is,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said moments before abruptly ending his brief postgame news conference and walking out. “It’s too many fouls.”

Those 36 free-throw attempts were the difference. Illinois shot just 64 percent from the line, but that piled up 23 points.

With Penn State forced to foul late, it was free throws that finally finished the game for Illinois.

Jermaine Marshall’s 3-pointer brought Penn State within 62-59 with 5 seconds left. D.J. Richardson then sank a pair of free throws that sealed the win.