Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 21 points and No. 11 Ohio State held off a late Nebraska surge for a 63-56 victory Saturday night in Lincoln.

The Buckeyes (17-4, 7-2 Big Ten) led 53-38 after a pair of free throws by Aaron Craft with 9:05 left. Nebraska (11-12, 2-8) then made its comeback, outscoring the Buckeyes 15-5 and cutting the lead to 58-53 on David Rivers' free throws with 2:40 remaining.

Following an Ohio State miss, Nebraska's Brandon Ubel and Andre Almeida each missed shots at the rim and Ubel missed a three-point attempt. Craft hit a pair of free throws with :56 left to put the Buckeyes up seven.

Ohio State won the game at the free throw line. The Buckeyes made 23-of-28, including all 10 of their first-half attempts. Nebraska was just 4-of-5 from the line.