TCU
1-0
University of Saint Thomas
0-4
TCU Downs St. Thomas Friday, 82-64
11/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU had six players score in double-figures Friday night en route to an 82-64 victory over St. Thomas in its season-opener inside Schollmaier Arena.
The Rundown
The Horned Frogs used a 17-2 run midway through the second half to suffocate the Celts and claim their 69th victory all-time in season-openers in front of 6,075 spectators, which marks the fifth-largest attendance figure in Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena history.
For the game, TCU shot 48.4 percent from the field, while out-rebounding St. Thomas to the tune of 38-27. The Frogs did most of their damage down low, out-scoring the Celts in the paint, 38-22. TCU also turned up its defensive pressure, forcing UST into 21 turnovers.
With the win, the Horned Frogs are now 1-0 on the season, while St. Thomas dropped to 0-4.
In his TCU debut, sophomore Alex Robinson carried the Frogs, who improved to 55-13 all-time in home-openers Friday night, scoring 16 points on 7-of-11 from the field. His seven made field goals tied a previous career-high. The Fort Worth native did most of his damage in the second half, tallying 14 of 16 in the period. Karviar Shepherd and Jaylen Fisher were also in double-figures, scoring 14 and 13 points apiece, respectively. Fisher also had a team-high seven assists and four steals in the win. His seven assists marked the most since senior Michael Williams had eight at Baylor a year ago.
Fellow freshman Desmond Bane added 12 points on 5-of-8 from the field, while Brandon Parrish chipped in with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. JD Miller rounded out the TCU notables, wrapping-up play with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds Friday.
St. Thomas was carried on the night by Josh Bearden who tallied 14 points in the loss. Jason Brancato was also in double-figures with 13 points on 5-of-9 from the field.
Shepherd pushed the TCU advantage to 10 early on in the second half, scoring an old fashioned three-point play. Fisher would increase it to 53-44 a few plays later, scoring off a turnover. He would then watch as Robinson dropped a three and a jumper on back-to-back trips to make it a 58-44 advantage with a little over 16 minutes showing on the scoreboard.
Midway through the second stanza, Bane would score on a three-point play to give the Purple and White a 67-50 tally before Robinson tickled the twine from deep to push it to 72-53 with 8:43 left in the contest.
TCU would put it in cruise control the rest of the way, winning its season-opener comfortably Friday night.
Shepherd gave TCU a 9-5 advantage early on, scoring a three-point play at the 17:51 mark of the opening frame. A few plays later, Bane got into the act, finding the bottom of the net on an acrobatic put-back to push the Purple and White advantage to 11-8.
Parrish would make it 15-11 at about the 15-minute mark, scoring on a jumper. St. Thomas would battle back to take a 19-15 lead, but the senior would have nothing of it, knocking down a deep three midway through to pull the Frogs within 19-18. Parrish continued to scorch the nets, giving TCU a 21-20 advantage before Robinson dropped in a layup to increase the Purple White lead to 23-20 at the 10:59 mark.
The two teams would go back and forth the next couple of trips until Miller pushed the Purple and White advantage to 35-29 with a three ball from the corner with a little over 4 minutes remaining in the half. The sophomore then put the Celts into a spin cycle for the bucket to increase the TCU advantage to seven at 37-30.
Fisher made it a 40-32 lead down the stretch, scoring three-straight before St. Thomas answered with 5-1 run to cut into the deficit. The Frogs would take a 45-37 lead into intermission, as the freshman would score in the final seconds of the opening frame.
Quote of the Game
Jamie Dixon, TCU Head Coach
"Sometimes you've got to pinch yourself before getting ready. It was fun to get our guys out on the court in front of our fans. I think there is good balance in our offense. I think the point guards are going to score, but they're also going to get a lot of assists. I think that's something to look forward to. We know we have to get better. We played a lot of freshmen tonight and had a lot of guys playing for a first time. Alex Robinson hadn't played in awhile and I thought he did some good things. It's been an interesting 30 days of practice because we've had guys in and out."
Game Notes
• TCU is now 55-13 in home-openers all-time.
• TCU is 69-37 all-time in season-openers.
• Jamie Dixon improved to 14-0 all-time in season-openers as a head coach.
• Alex Robinson scored in double-figures for a ninth time in his career.
• Robinson tied a career-high in shots made with seven.
• JD Miller made only his fourth career start Friday night.
• Miller posted his sixth double-figure scoring game of his career with 10 points.
• Miller led TCU in rebounding for a seventh time in his career.
• Jaylen Fisher and Desmond Bane both made their first career starts Friday.
• Fisher's seven assists were the most since Michael Williams had eight at Baylor last January.
• Karviar Shepherd scored in double-figures for a 26th time in his career Friday.
• Shepherd made his 86th career start Friday night.
Up Next
TCU will be back in action Monday night versus Alabama State. Start time is set for 8:00 p.m. CT.
