Junior guard Malcolm Hill scored a game-high 22 points as Illinois held off Illinois-Chicago 83-79 on Saturday at United Center in Chicago.

Freshman guard Jalen-Coleman Lands added 15 points, redshirt freshman forward Michael Finke had 14 points and junior guard Kendrick Nunn scored 14 points to help the Illini (6-5) avoid an upset by a 20-point underdog.

The score was tied 66-66 with 3:58 left when Hill hit two free throws and added a jumper to put Illinois ahead to stay. Hill scored nine points in the final four minutes.

Freshman forward Dikembe Dixson had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Illinois-Chicago (1-6), and freshman guard Dominique Matthews added 18 points before fouling out.

Matthews kept Illinois-Chicago afloat in the early going. He drilled his first five shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and two free throws to give the Flames a 15-13 lead less than nine minutes in.

When Matthews fed senior forward Jake Weigand for a layup at the 10:43 mark, UIC owned a 17-13 edge.

Illinois responded with a 21-7 run that included two 3-pointers from Finke, one by Coleman-Lands and another from Hill.

Illinois opened a 41-30 bulge by halftime, as Finke delivered a team-high 14 points.

Instead of acting like a team with no wins against Div. I opponents this season, UIC attacked the deficit after the break.

The Flames went on a 14-0 run -- capped by sophomore center Tai Odiase's basket -- to take a 58-54 lead with 9:56 to play.