BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It didn’t take long for Indiana to get going.

The Hoosiers brought energy from the get-go as they made three of their first five shots and forced Ohio State into three quick turnovers, which created a quick 10-0 lead for Indiana.

It only continued to get better as the Hoosiers didn’t just warm up, but caught fire by scoring 48 first half points, while limiting the Buckeyes to only 18.

Troy Williams led all scorers with a season-high 23 points as Indiana overpowered Ohio State 85-60 Sunday at Assembly Hall for the Hoosiers’ ninth consecutive victory.

Senior Yogi Ferrell was pleased with the play of Williams. Ferrell said that Williams did a great job at running the floor.

“[Williams] played phenomenal,” Ferrell said. “He kept his head up, and I liked his decision-making…The main thing I saw better from him, he was getting out and running, which coach has gotten him about. He’s got to get out and run more, you see, just like today, he gets layups. He gets anything he wants. He’s too athletic and nobody can stop him.”

Freshman Thomas Bryant had an impressive day on the glass with a career-high 13 rebounds with four coming on the offensive glass. Bryant said that rebounding is one aspect he has improved the most.

“I’ve improved on the conditioning and rebounding,” Bryant said. “Learning the plays, and learning from my teammates, like [Ferrell] and [Williams]. They’re patient with me, they push me to the limit.”

The Hoosiers defense has been steadily improving over the past few games, and this game was no exception. Indiana had eight of its nine steals in the first half. This is an impressive number considering Ohio State came into the game ranked ninth in the country with limiting steals.

Indiana’s improved play on defense is from increased effort and focus. Ferrell said that the team is starting to understand how crucial playing defense is.

“We’re realizing more now how important it is for us to play defense,” Ferrell said. “Especially in the Big Ten, where anybody can beat anybody at any given night. We know how important it is for us to go out there, if we get stops and not turn the ball over, we have a great chance of winning.”

Head coach Tom Crean has seen improvement from his group and attributes the improvement to the team’s increased intensity.

“They are playing with more passion and fire all the time, and it comes from that,” Crean said. “Again, when you’re aggressive on one end, you’re usually going to be on the other end. We have great respect for how they shoot it. We wanted to be aggressive with our hands and not give them a lot of free looks.”

Robert Johnson looks to be trending upward after a rough stretch. After scoring 11 points in his previous four games combined, Johnson found himself matching that total against the Buckeyes as he scored 11 points on four shots. The sophomore added a steal, five rebounds, and six assists.

Crean said that Johnson has not been healthy, but it appears as he is starting to get back on track.

“You can’t keep him out of the gym,” Crean said. “I don’t practice him every day fully, but it doesn’t make any difference. He’s out there. We’ve got to keep working through it. He’s cleared to play, but he’s not anywhere near 100 percent.”

Indiana has been a team that tends to struggle to start games. The fact that the Hoosiers found their inner will and started the game strong is promising.

Ferrell admitted that he thoroughly enjoyed that first half.

“That was the most fun basketball half I’ve played since I’ve been here,” he said.

Up Next: Indiana will have five days to rest before the head to The Barn on Saturday to take on Minnesota. The Hoosiers will be looking to get their 10th straight win.