Xavier Johnson had 24 points and eight assists as Indiana held off a late charge to beat Minnesota 84-79 on Sunday in Minneapolis.

The Hoosiers (18-10, 9-9 Big Ten) won their second straight to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, but it wasn't easy. Indiana led by as many as 27 points in the second half before Minnesota went on a late 24-4 run, cutting Indiana's lead to 74-67 on a 3-pointer by Payton Willis with 2:36 left.

Willis led Minnesota (13-14, 4-14) with 28 points, going 7 of 14 from 3-point range. E.J. Stephens added 14 points for the Golden Gophers and Jamison Battle had 13 points, including a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining that cut Indiana's lead to 82-79. But Johnson made two free throws for the Hoosiers with 3.9 seconds to close out the game.

Trayce Jackson-Davis added 14 points and eight rebounds for Indiana, while Miller Kopp and Jordan Geronimo each scored 10 points. Kopp scored in double figures for Indiana for the first time since scoring a career-high 28 points at Syracuse on Nov. 30.

Johnson scored 16 points in the first half, helping Indiana take a 40-33 lead into halftime. The Hoosiers shot 53.3 percent from the field in the first half and 50 percent (6 of 12) from 3-point range.

Indiana led by as many as 12 points in the first half, going up 27-15 on a Johnson 3-pointer. But Minnesota answered with back to back 3-pointers from Battle and Willis to cut the Indiana lead to 27-21.

The Hoosiers extended their lead back to 10 points three times, going up 40-30 on a driving basket by Johnson with 25 seconds left in the half. But Willis hit a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to cut Indiana's lead to 40-33 at intermission.

Indiana guard Rob Phinisee returned after missing seven games with plantar fasciitis and finished with eight points.

--Field Level Media