Ohio State built double-digit leads in both halves but couldn't shake Rutgers until the closing seconds Wednesday.

Kam Williams tied a career high with 23 points, and the Buckeyes were 4 of 4 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds as they hung on to beat the Scarlet Knights 70-64 in Columbus, Ohio.

After Rutgers tied the game at 62 on a Nigel Johnson steal of an inbound pass and an Issa Thiam tip-in with 1:19 to go, Williams converted a four-point play to give the Buckeyes a 66-62 lead.

Marc Loving and C.J. Jackson then made their free throws to seal the win.

Trevor Thompson had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Ohio State (15-10, 5-7 Big Ten). The Buckeyes shot 46 percent from the field while limiting the Scarlet Knights to 39.7 percent shooting.

Corey Sanders led Rutgers (13-12, 2-10) with 17 points but picked up his fifth foul with just under five minutes to go. Mike Williams added 11 points, and Deshawn Freeman had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights. Thiam also scored 10 points.

Rutgers had nine steals to Ohio State's two to keep it close, but the Scarlet Knights missed eight of their 18 free throws. Rutgers is last in the Big Ten in foul shooting.

Ohio State led by as many as 12 in the second half.

The Buckeyes outscored Rutgers 23-8 over an 11-minute stretch of the first half to take a double-digit lead, but Rutgers cut it to 33-27 at halftime.

Jae'Sean Tate had 11 points for Ohio State on 4-for-5 shooting to lead all scorers in the first 20 minutes, but he didn't score after halftime.

Both teams shot 46 percent from the field in the first half, but the Buckeyes held a 20-12 rebounding edge at the break.

The Scarlet Knights were coming off a 70-68 win at Penn State on Saturday, their first victory in a Big Ten road game. They had been 0-23 on the road since joining the conference in 2014.

Ohio State plays at 21st-ranked Maryland on Saturday, while Rutgers hosts Minnesota on Saturday.