The Sports Xchange
Dec 22, 2017
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Alex Robinson scored 23 points and Jaylen Fisher added 21, including 17 in the second half, as No. 15 TCU found its stride late in the game to pull away from upset-minded William & Mary 86-75 on Friday night at Schollmaier Arena.
The victory was the 17th straight for the Horned Frogs (12-0), setting a program record and extending their nation-leading streak for consecutive wins. It was TCU's final game before beginning the gauntlet of Big 12 play. Six of the 10 teams in the conference are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
TCU led just 73-70 after a layup by William & Mary's Justin Pierce with 5:52 to play. But the Horned Frogs began to pull away, forging a 10-2 run in the next five minutes.
The scoring totals for Robinson and Fisher were career highs. JD Miller added 12 points for TCU, and Vladimir Brodziansky and Desmond Bane hit for 11 points each as all five Horned Frogs starters reached double figures.
Matt Milon led William & Mary (7-4) with 22 points. Connor Burchfield scored 18 for the Tribe. Paul Rowley and Nathan Knight had 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Justin Pierce grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Horned Frogs led by as many as eight points in the first half and settled for e 36-31 advantage at halftime. Robinson paced TCU with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting while the Horned Frogs outshot William & Mary 53.3 percent-32.3 percent and outrebounded the Tribe 23-14 in the first 20 minutes.
William & Mary stayed in the game with its 3-point shooting, with seven of its 10 made baskets coming from beyond the arc.
Milon led the way for the Tribe, scoring 11 points and going 3 of 6 from long distance. Pierce grabbed seven rebounds in the first half to lead all players.
NOTES: TCU played without leading scorer Kendrich Williams, who is nursing a knee injury. ... The Horned Frogs now lead the series against William & Mary 2-0. The only other meeting between the teams was a 76-71 victory by TCU on Dec. 30, 1964, in El Paso, part of the Sun Bowl Carnival. ... William & Mary was picked to finish eighth in the Colonial Athletic Association. ... TCU is 41-16 when playing as a ranked team, including 20-2 at home. ... Founded in 1693, William & Mary is the second oldest college in America.