INDIANAPOLIS -- Defense and rebounding -- elements that plagued Indiana in early season losses to Wake Forest, UNLV and Duke -- came to the Hoosiers' rescue on Saturday against Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic.

After switching to a 2-3 zone, Indiana limited the Fighting Irish to eight field goals in their final 26 attempts and rallied from a 13-point deficit for an 80-73 victory in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Indiana also out rebounded Notre Dame 21-13 in the pivotal final 20 minutes when the Hoosiers rallied.

Indiana scored the game's final seven points -- all from the free-throw line during the last 57 seconds. The Hoosiers (9-3) trailed by 13 with just more than 12 minutes remaining but outscored the Fighting Irish (7-3) 32-12 to finish the game.

Indiana pulled to within 71-66 with 5:06 remaining. A Troy Williams layup and a 3-pointer from Yogi Ferrell tied it 71-71 with 4:02 to play.

Williams, a forward, led Indiana with 18 points and 10 rebounds, forward Robert Johnson added 18, and guards James Blackmon and Ferrell scored 11 and 10, respectively.

"When we got down 13, Yogi and Troy pulled us together and got us going," Johnson said. "We wanted to play at a fast pace, and we finally got it."

Williams had five offensive rebounds, helping Indiana to a 15-11 advantage in second-chance points.

"Offensive rebounds sparked the game," Williams said. "This victory was a real step forward for us."

Bonzie Colson led Notre Dame with 24, and V.J. Beachem had 18.

"Until we went to the zone, we weren't playing like we are capable," said Indiana reserve Collin Hartman, who had nine points, four rebounds and three assists. "We got a lot more aggressive on defense, and that fueled our offense."

Notre Dame led 61-48 with 12:26 remaining before Indiana countered with a 7-0 burst to pull within 61-55 on Blackmon's 3-pointer with 10:37 remaining. A Zach Auguste layup with 7:02 remaining pushed the Fighting Irish lead to 63-55.

"We let one slip away," a frustrated Beachem said. "We have to get better defensively and on the glass."

After Indiana grabbed a quick 5-0 lead, Notre Dame went on a 21-7 run to seize a 21-12 advantage. The Hoosiers had no answer for Colson, who had 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals during a first half in which he made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts, helping the Irish lead 41-31 at intermission.

"Their zone kind of slowed us down," Colson said.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey agreed.

"That was a great move to see if we could make shots over the top of their zone," Brey said. "We missed some we usually make."

Johnson had 13 first-half points to lead Indiana, which made only 12 of 34 shots (35.3 percent) during the opening 20 minutes.

Notre Dame was 17 of 32 from the field (53.1 percent) in the first half, including 3 of 3 from Beachem, who made two 3-pointers in opening 20 minutes.

Each team had 20 first-half rebounds, and each was guilty of seven turnovers. Notre Dame blocked eight shots in the first 20 minutes.

The Irish led by 10 with Auguste and Demetrius Jackson combining to shoot 3 of 11.

NOTES: Notre Dame did not commit its first foul until 9:44 remained in the first half. ... The Fighting Irish made 11 of their first 16 field-goal attempts and 17 of their first 30. ... Notre Dame entered 3-1 in the Crossroads Classic, having won three in a row, including two victories against Purdue. ... The Fighting Irish came into this game with a three-game winning streak, averaging 83.7 points in those three victories. ... Indiana entered 2-2 in the Crossroads Classic, having beaten Notre Dame in 2011 and Butler in 2014. ... The Hoosiers entered this game leading the Big Ten in scoring (89.0 points per game), field-goal percentage (53.9), 3-point field goals made per game (10.3) and steals per game (8.3).