College basketball: Texas Christian wins 17th in a row

Alex Robinson scored a season-high 23 points and No. 15 Texas Christian set a school record with its nation-leading 17th consecutive win, beating visiting William & Mary 86-75 on Friday night in the Horned Frogs’ final Big 12 tuneup.

Jaylen Fisher had 17 of his career-high 21 points in the second half to send TCU (12-0) into conference play unbeaten for the second time in four seasons. The winning streak includes the last five games of last season, when the Horned Frogs won the NIT championship.

TCU broke the previous school record of 16 straight wins under Billy Tubbs in 1997-98, the last time they made the NCAA tournament.

Although the Horned Frogs started 13-0 in 2014-15, they weren’t expected to contend in the Big 12 because of their 0-18 conference record the previous season. They went 4-14 in league play, the only time they didn’t finish last in the Big 12 in four seasons under Trent Johnson.

Expectations have changed under second-year coach Jamie Dixon, a player on the last TCU team to win an NCAA Tournament game in 1986-87.

And that’s why it’s been an issue in nonconference for overmatched teams staying close to the Horned Frogs. William & Mary was the latest.

A couple of weeks after losing by 35 at Ohio State, the Tribe were within two points with 6 1/2 minutes left. Among the nation’s most accurate teams from 3-point range, William & Mary used that weapon to stay close.

Matt Milon made six of 11 from long range and scored 22 points. Connor Burchfield, the active NCAA leader in career three-point accuracy coming into the game, scored 18 and was four of seven from beyond the arc, including two that helped cut a 10-point lead to five in less than a minute in the second half.

TCU guard Alex Robinson drives against William & Mary guard Connor Burchfield during their game Friday night.

(LM Otero / Associated Press )

Fisher had two big 3s to help keep the Horned Frogs in front, including one right after William & Mary had pulled within 70-68. Fisher and Robinson were a combined 17 of 27 from the field as TCU shot 62 percent.

No. 9 Xavier 77, at Northern Iowa 67: J.P. Macura scored 15 points and the Musketeers hung on to beat the Panthers for their seventh straight win.

Trevon Bluiett scored 12 points with seven rebounds for the Musketeers (12-1), who went on an 11-2 run down the stretch, highlighted by a three-pointer by Bluiett, to break open a tie game.

Macura’s breakaway dunk and three in the final 95 seconds sealed it for Xavier, which shot 12 for 23 from three-point range.

at No. 3 Arizona State 104, Pacific 65: Led by their dynamic guards, the Sun Devils (12-0) dominated from the start in a victory over the Tigers, extending the best start in school history.

Shannon Evans II scored 21 points, Tra Holder added 19 and freshman Remy Martin provided his usual energetic spark off the bench, finishing with 14 points and six assists.

at No. 11 Wichita State 75, Florida Gulf Coast 65: Landry Shamet scored 23 points to push the Shockers past the Eagles.

Shamet was eight for 12 from the field while the rest of his team went 14 for 44.

SOUTHLAND

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Cal State Fullerton 88, at Loyola Marymount 80: Khalil Ahmad scored 25 points, Jackson Rowe added 19 points and Arkim Robertson had 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Titans (7-4) won for the sixth time in their last seven games. The Lions (5-6) cut Fullerton’s lead to five points on Jeffery McClendon’s three-pointer with six minutes left in the game, but the Titans answered with a seven-point run.

at UC Riverside 91, UC Merced 46: Ajani Kennedy made six of seven shots and finished with 15 points and Alex Larsson added 14 points on five-for-six shooting for the Highlanders (5-7). The game counted as an exhibition for NAIA member Merced, which was held to 24% shooting.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

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Long Beach State at Colorado State, 1 p.m.

Idaho State at Cal State Northridge, 3 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara at Sacramento State, 7 p.m.