BLOOMINGTON — Frustration hit Michigan men’s basketball guard Zack Novak for the first time this season at the beginning of the second half in the Wolverines' 80-61 loss to Indiana on Saturday night.

With Michigan trailing by double digits, Novak got tangled up with Indiana’s Maurice Creek and fell to the ground. Creek tried to transition back to offense but Novak shoved out his foot and tripped the Hoosier.

The 17,168-person crowd at Assembly Hall let the Indiana native Novak know that everyone saw him, even though the referees weren’t looking at the play and called no foul.

“I don’t pay attention to that,” Novak said about the crowd heckling him for most of the game.

The Wolverines' woes may have caused the type of frustration that Novak and his teammates showed in their fourth straight loss. Indiana collected the first eight rebounds of the contest and went on to outrebound Michigan, 37-18.

What seemed like a game where Indiana simply dominated possession and tempo, the Wolverines couldn’t even try to rebound because the Hoosiers didn't miss shots. Indiana shot 68 percent from the field — missing just 14 shots all game. And in fact, the Hoosiers rebounded six of their seven missed shots in the first half.

“Before anybody asks me the rebounding questions — they only missed 14 shots,” Michigan coach John Beilein said after the game. “So there’s not a whole lot of rebounds on 14 shots. When you have that you’re never in your transition. You’re not able to do a lot of things that you want to do.”

Struggles with rebounding caused the Wolverines to play much more aggressively at the glass. Late in the first half, freshman guard Evan Smotrycz tallied his third foul and walked to the bench with his face down and his hands on his head — another sign that the Wolverines were frustrated in the game.

Along with Smotrycz, freshman guard Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded two fouls in the first stanza, as did his backup Matt Vogrich. The foul trouble that persisted early on forced Michigan to fiddle around with unconventional lineups.

“I am actually one of the guys that think we should be cleaning up the game,” Beilein said. “We should be calling the game close. Several of our guys have got to learn the hard way about that. (Fouls) just disrupt us.

“Whether we bench them, whether we run them, whether we just continue to teach them — they’re young, they’re forced to find out the hard way. We couldn’t even get (Smotrycz) out of there — it’s a matter of seconds and he put his hands on someone else.”

And as the Wolverines continued to get beat on the glass and rack in fouls, it was their shooting that suffered as a result of such frustration.

Michigan shot 29 percent from 3-point range and 36 percent from the field. The Wolverines scored 15 points in the first half — their lowest first-half total of the season and the lowest point total that Indiana has held an opponent to this season.

“(Defense) was the key to our week,” Indiana head coach Tom Crean said. “It was the key to all our games … Our players understood that it began with what our defensive transition was going to be like because of how well they push the ball up the court and get it up the court.”

Being out rebounded, being in foul trouble and struggling to make shots caused a young team to put their heads down. Indiana continued to pick at the souls of the Wolverines and maintained a comfortable lead for the final 30 minutes of play.

“I give credit to this team — we don’t really get frustrated,” sophomore Darius Morris said after scoring a team-high 22 points. “We keep playing, but it is frustrating at the end when you look up and you’re way down. We’re keeping a good attitude when we’re out there on the court, and then afterwards, obviously, we’re frustrated.”