BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Before the game, all eyes were set on senior point guard Yogi Ferrell.

Entering the contest, he was two assists shy of surpassing Michael Lewis for Indiana’s all-time record for assists. Ferrell did not disappoint as he broke the record 8:41 into the game, finding Max Bielfeldt on a layup for his 546th career assist.

Ferrell finished with 16 points, making five 3-pointers and one free throw, and was one assist shy of his first career double-double, as he helped No. 25 Indiana beat Illinois 103-69 Tuesday night at Assembly Hall.

Ferrell said that he was not thinking about the record when he broke it.

“I wasn’t really trying to force the issue,” Ferrell said. “I knew I was one assist away, but I was just trying to go out there and play the same game that I normally play, push the ball, push the tempo. I knew my teammates were going to run with me and I’m going to give them the ball.”

When he went to the bench for the final time, Indiana head coach Tom Crean raised his arm in the air.

“I didn’t know he was going to do that,” Ferrell said. “I thought he was going to give me a handshake. That was pretty cool with all of the fans cheering for me, and that just shows just how special ‘Hoosier Nation’ is and that all the fans are behind us.”

Ferrell was not the only Hoosier breaking records, as the team as a whole broke both the school and Big Ten record for most 3-pointers made in a single game with 19. Walk-on Harrison Niego’s only made shot was the record breaker, as he drained a bucket from deep with 51 seconds remaining in the game. Indiana’s 19 made 3-pointers came on 36 attempts (52.8 percent.)

Troy Williams said it was not the Hoosiers’ gameplan to go out and shoot that many threes.

“We just drive the ball inside, get it rotated outside and knock down the three,” Williams said. “Or we get in transition, like for example, I get in transition and I pass it back to Yogi for the three. Just shooting the right shot at the right time.”

Throughout the majority of the season, Indiana has had an issue taking care of the ball. Heading into the game, the Hoosiers turned the ball over on 21.2 percent of their possessions. Against the Illini, Indiana only turned the ball over 15.9 percent of the time.

Williams led both teams with 21 points as he shot 8 of 11 from the field. However, what might be more impressive is the fact that Williams did not commit any turnovers. This was the first time that’s happened this season. Crean credits Williams’ development to a constant ambition to progress.

We spend a lot of time together,” Crean said. “He wants to be really good. He’s growing up, and we keep trying to show him and have him see the things that are going to be measurable for him. His decision-making, his rebounding, what he gets done defensively. The shooting and all those kind of things, they’re getting better and better because of the work ethic and improvement aspect of the program that’s always ongoing here.”

On the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers did a great job at forcing Illinois into turnovers as the Hoosiers forced a turnover on 21.7 percent of the Illini possessions. This is impressive considering the fact that Illinois entered the game ranked second in the country with taking care of the ball (13.7 percent). Indiana scored 13 second-chance points and recorded 21 points off the 15 Illinois turnovers.

Bielfeldt finished the game with 16 points and eight rebounds, he believes the team is finally getting to the point that they want to be on defense.

“We’re really focusing in and we’re a lot clearer on what we want to do,” Bielfeldt said. “There was a little bit of uncertainty sometimes in the past and I think we just really worked on that in practice.”

The Hoosiers have been playing stiffer defense as of late and Crean said that it’s because they are dedicated to improving.

“We’re not really teaching different things,” Crean said. “We’re so different because Thomas Bryant is different. There’s a real commitment from the guys to get better, and the freshmen have really improved.”

Sophomore Robert Johnson is starting to get into a rhythm. He finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. He had two turnovers in the first half but did not commit a single turnover in the second half.

After an impressive win, Ferrell is apparently feeling confident about his team.

“When we know what we want to do,” Ferrell said, “We’re unstoppable.”

Up next, Indiana 16-3 (6-0) will look to win its 12th straight as the Hoosiers take on Northwestern Saturday, Jan. 23 at Assembly Hall.