BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- When the perimeter shots wouldn't fall, it became a battle in the paint for Indiana and Minnesota.

It was the frontcourt players who made the different in the end as No. 19 Indiana edged Minnesota 74-68 on Saturday at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers remained undefeated at home with the victory, and moved to 8-1 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2012-13.

"I'm really proud of the way we found a way to win," coach Tom Crean said. "That's the bottom line."

Both teams were 2-of-18 from the 3-point range, a season low for each.

Despite the poor shooting percentage and high volume of attempts, Crean said he wasn't the least bit concerned about it.

"I don't think we shot enough threes," he said. "That's the last thing I get worried about with this team."

With the perimeter shots not falling, Indiana -- normally a great perimeter shooting team at 44.4 percent entering the game -- was forced to go inside.

No player epitomized the importance of contributions at the rim than freshman center Thomas Bryant.

Bryant established himself in the paint early as he scored 11 of Indiana's first 22 points. He finished with a career- and game-high 23 for Indiana (18-4, 8-1 in the Big Ten).

His final basket proved to be the most critical, an emphatic dunk with 27 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 70-67 lead.

It followed a 3-point shot by Minnesota sophomore guard Nate Mason which, had it fallen, would have reclaimed the lead for the Gophers and given them a two-point lead.

Instead, Indiana freshman forward OG Anunoby grabbed the rebound and handed it off to guard Yogi Ferrell. As Ferrell looked downcourt for an open teammate, he saw Minnesota players walking toward the bench as if the Gophers were going to call a timeout.

That left Bryant open for his dunk.

"That's probably weirder plays I've ever seen playing in a basketball game," Ferrell said.

Ferrell finished with 13 points and three assists for the Hoosiers, moving into ninth on Indiana's all-time scoring list with 1,763 career points. He had two turnovers, and Indiana finished with 11. That tied its fourth-lowest number of turnovers in a single game this season.

Despite facing a 12-point halftime deficit, Minnesota (6-16, 0-10) would not go away.

Minnesota redshirt junior forward Charles Buggs' 3-point shot with 5:49 remaining in the second half gave the Gophers a chance to tie, but he missed.

On the ensuing offensive possession, Minnesota sophomore center Bakary Konate was fouled by Indiana junior forward Collin Hartman. Konate hit both free throws to cut the deficit to three.

Bryant had 13 points as Indiana led Minnesota 39-27 at halftime. Minnesota got off to a fast start in the first half with a quick 7-0 run, sparked by a jumper near the right elbow and a floater by Mason.

As Mason developed an early rhythm, Indiana was slowed by missed shots and turnovers. The Hoosiers turned it over on their first offensive possession after Hartman committed an offensive foul.

A second offensive foul gave Indiana two turnovers in its first six possessions. The Hoosiers missed six of their first seven shots before Bryant's layup finally got them on the board at the 16:39 mark.



Mason went down on a transition layup attempt that was blocked by Williams. He got up under his own power and was able to shoot the ensuing free throws.

Indiana took the lead after Bryant hit back-to-back layups near the midway point of the first half.

The teams shot a combined 2-of-21 from 3-point range in the first half. As a result, Indiana and Minnesota went inside often, scoring a combined 44 points in the paint -- 90 by the end of the game.

Indiana also overcame Minnesota 50 percent shooting in the second half.

"We fought," Crean said. "And they were resilient in finding a way to win.

NOTES: Indiana was 1-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half, its worst first-half shooting percentage from beyond the arc this season. ... Indiana's first 3-point field goal came with 5:35 left in the first half on a shot from the top of the key by sophomore guard Robert Johnson. ... The Hoosiers swept the season series with Minnesota. ... ... Indiana is 13-0 at home for the first time since 2007 ... Ferrell now has 563 career assists