BLOOMINGTON -- Order in the Cream ‘n Crimson basketball world has been restored, at least for now, and that is a huge thing. The three-game losing streak is over courtesy of Saturday’s 90-72 victory over Northwestern State and if it wasn’t as significant as, say, Florida over Michigan State, don’t tell it to the Hoosiers.

“This was huge,” coach Tom Crean said.

How huge? Consider IU (3-3) next plays Maryland, Pitt and Kentucky, and the last thing it needed was the burden of a losing streak. Consider it needed the confidence that comes from a well-played game, and if the Hoosiers weren’t perfect (18 turnovers, 23 fouls), at least it’s a start.

“We talked to the players that you don’t get what you want, you get what you deserve,” Crean said. “The process makes that happen.

“We had a good week of getting better and learning roles and learning what’s important. By no stretch are we playing great, but we’re playing hard and with a real purpose. The experience of the losses at Puerto Rico came back to help us. It’s got to get done with rebounding and defense and be mistake free as much as possible.”

The Hoosiers got their offense going with their biggest free throw shooting barrage of the century. They were 34-for-44, the most made free throws since making 43 against Ohio State in 1997. Freshman forward Christian Watford had 17 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard Maurice Creek had 17 points and four rebounds. Guard Jeremiah Rivers had 10 assists, six points and seven rebounds.

“Christian was really aggressive,” Crean said. “He brought his practice effort to the game. Jeremiah getting 10 assists was really reading what was there.”

Northwestern State (2-2) remains an opponent major college teams love to play. It is just 2-52 in guaranteed games during coach Mike McConathy’s 11-year tenure. Still, it was more what the Hoosiers did well than what the Demons didn’t do that was the deciding factor.

“Indiana was improved in some areas,” McConathy said. “Coach Crean made them a lot better. They shot early on pretty well. In all their runs they were able to get easy buckets because we didn’t contest shots. When you have 23 turnovers on the road, you won’t be able to compete. We had a lot of unforced errors and guys not doing what they’re supposed to do.”

The Hoosiers controlled the first half and it started with defense that forced Northwestern State into 33.3 percent shooting and 15 turnovers against just four assists. Creek set the early scoring tone and senior guard Devan Dumes came through with 10 points in 11 off-the-bench minutes. That propelled IU to a 45-35 halftime lead. It shot 54.2 percent from the field in the second half to go 3-0 at Assembly Hall.

“We finished with a defensive and rebounding mindset,” Crean said. “It’s a real good growth for us. This was a great test and our guys did a good job of responding.”

Now the response turns to Tuesday’s Big Ten-ACC Challenge against Maryland.

“We’ll turn over every rock to find a way to beat Maryland,” Crean said.