Nebraska 63, Northern Illinois 58: Leslee Smith came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points and grab nine rebounds as the host Cornhuskers held off a late rally by the Huskies.

Deverell Biggs scored a team-high 18 points in a reserve role for Nebraska (5-2), which forced 16 turnovers. Terran Petteway added 12 points, but was just 3-of-11 from the field.

Jordan Threloff led the charge for Northern Illinois (2-4) with a career-high 18 points off the bench. Dontel Highsmith added 13 points while Darrell Bowie grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Huskies.

Northern Illinois jumped out to an early six-point advantage before Nebraska took its first lead of the game at 20-18 following Petteway's 3-pointer midway through the half. Petteway led all scorers with nine points in the opening 20 minutes as the Cornhuskers took a 35-28 edge into the break.

Tai Webster's layup gave Nebraska its biggest lead of the game at 48-35 before Threloff scored six straight points as the Huskies trimmed the deficit to seven. Northern Illinois pulled within 59-58 following Highsmith's 3-pointer with nine seconds left, but Biggs hit four consecutive free throws to seal the win for the Cornhuskers.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Nebraska's bench outscored Northern Illinois' reserves 35-31. … Both teams combined to shoot 6-of-29 from beyond the arc. … Bowie, who averaged 21 points over the Huskies’ previous games, was held to two Saturday.