STATE COLLEGE — Brandon Taylor had plenty to smile about after capping his best season in a Penn State uniform as the Nittany Lions secured their first ever first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament with an 86-79 double-overtime win over Illinois on Sunday.

“I think we had fresh legs for the most part,” Taylor said. “I just think that every huddle we had was positive.”

Shep Garner scored 22 points and Taylor added 21 and 11 rebounds for the Nittany Lions (16-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who snapped a two-game losing streak and set a mark for their most conference wins under head coach Patrick Chambers.

Josh Reaves added 13 points and Donovon Jack chipped in 10 for the Nittany Lions who saw a 10-point lead turn into a 1-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.

Malcolm Hill scored 24 of his 39 points in the second half and added 13 rebounds for the Fighting Illini (13-18, 5-13).