Junior guards Kendrick Nunn and Malcolm Hill combined for 48 points as Illinois held on for a 69-65 nonconference victory over Yale on Wednesday night at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

Nunn, whose previous career high of 27 points came Saturday against Western Carolina, finished with 28. The left-hander drilled 6 of 8 3-pointers, including one with 1:25 left that gave Illinois a 66-60 advantage.

Hill scored 20 points for the Illini (5-5), who committed just five turnovers. Yale (5-4) had 23 turnovers that turned into 25 Illinois points.

Yale received 21 points and nine rebounds from reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Justin Sears.

The senior forward sank two free throws with 48.2 seconds left to cut Illinois' lead to 66-62 and then intercepted a long pass by senior point guard Khalid Lewis. But Sears had the ball knocked away by Hill on a drive to the hoop.

Yale sophomore guard Makai Mason contributed 15 points, including a 3-pointer that made it 67-65 with 1.8 seconds left.

Yale used its final two timeouts to set up a full-court press, but Nunn was fouled on the inbounds pass and made two free throws to clinch the game.

Yale, the Ivy League favorite, took its last lead on senior guard Nick Victor's 3-pointer with 9:27 to go. The Bulldogs' 49-47 edge was erased within a minute as Hill produced a layup and Nunn nailed a 3-pointer.