E.J. Liddell had 22 points, including the final four points of the game from the free-throw line to break a tie, when No. 13 Ohio State held off Penn State 83-79 in Columbus on Wednesday.

The score was 79-79 when the Buckeyes (13-4, 7-4 Big Ten) forced Seth Lundy into a turnover and Liddell hit two foul shots for an 81-79 lead with 59 seconds left.

Lundy missed a triple, but the Buckeyes committed a clock violation with 16.3 seconds left. Myreon Jones missed a 13-foot floater with three seconds to go for Penn State (5-7, 2-6), and Liddell made two more from the line with 1.9 seconds left after being fouled on the rebound.

Justice Sueing had 13 points, Zed Key 11 and Kyle Young 10 for Ohio State.

The Nittany Lions, who had won two straight, were led by Lundy with 26 points. Izaiah Brockington had 18 and John Harrar 15.

Penn State, which trailed 14-2 at the onset, worked its way to a 63-57 lead before Young hit a triple to pull the Buckeyes within three.

But the Nittany Lions pushed the pace and when Brockington hit an open 3 from the left corner, they reached their largest lead at 70-62 with 8:14 left.

The Nittany Lions had used a 10-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 49-46, when Brockington nailed a 3 five minutes into the second half after the Buckeyes had a 43-39 halftime lead.

Penn State was hampered by the absence of Sam Sessoms, who averages 10.3 points per game. He was ruled out indefinitely this week with a sprained right ankle.

The Nittany Lions did get Myles Dread (7.6 points per game; 2.4 rebounds per game) back after missing two games with a shoulder injury. He had six points.

Penn State, which played for the fifth time since Jan. 17, hosts No. 14 Wisconsin on Saturday. The Buckeyes are home to play Michigan State on Sunday.

--Field Level Media