BTN.com staff, BTN.com staff, January 23, 2014

There were two Big Ten men's hoops games on the docket tonight, and both were filled with plenty of excitement. Ohio State kicked off the evening with a much-needed 62-55 win over Illinois, ending the Buckeyes' four-game losing skid. Penn State followed with an impressive 58-52 victory over Nebraska, giving the Nittany Lions their first Big Ten win of the season.

Catch up on all the scores, stats and video highlights in this post.

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OHIO STATE 62, ILLINOIS 55 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY

(AP) LaQuinton Ross scored 18 points and Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 16 – including a critical 3-pointer in the waning moments – to help No. 17 Ohio State end a four-game skid with a 62-55 win over Illinois on Thursday night. Aaron Craft added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Buckeyes (16-4, 3-4 Big Ten), who had lost four in a row for the first time since 2007-08.

PENN STATE 58, NEBRASKA 54 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY

(AP) D.J. Newbill scored 16 points to lead Penn State past Nebraska 58-54 Thursday night for its first Big Ten Conference win. John Johnson scored 13 for the Nittany Lions (10-10, 1-6) and Brandon Taylor and Tim Frazier each had 11.