Alex Robinson scored 16 points and TCU rallied from an early 17-point deficit to beat Washington 86-71 on Wednesday night in a rare back-to-back meeting of non-conference opponents.
Robinson had a career-high 24 points in the first game four days earlier in the Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas. The Horned Frogs (7-0) won the first meeting 93-80, but had just three points nearly nine minutes into the rematch after missing 15 of their first 17 shots.
TCU went on an 18-0 run to erase a 22-5 deficit, going ahead by a point on a 3-pointer from Robinson, who scored nine during the run.
The Frogs, under first-year coach and former TCU guard Jamie Dixon, went ahead for good on a 3-pointer late in the first half by JD Miller, who had 12 points. Freshman guard Jaylen Fisher scored 14 of his 15 points after halftime.
Markelle Fultz led the Huskies (4-3) with 21 points, 14 rebounds and six assists -- but had six of the Huskies' season-high 25 turnovers. Carlos Johnson added 13 points and eight boards.
After trailing by 17 in the first half, TCU took its first 17-point lead when Miller blocked a layup attempt by Dominic Green and Robinson converted a three-point play at the other end for a 75-58 advantage.
DOUBLING UP
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It's the fourth time since 1979-80 that Washington has played a non-conference opponent twice in the same season, but the second time in as many years. Washington beat Texas in last season's opener in China before the Longhorns won in the Bahamas. ... The last time Washington played the same non-conference opponent in back-to-back games was at Hawaii in 1975-76, winning both. ... TCU finished the 2009-10 season with consecutive losses to Mountain West Conference foe BYU. The Frogs beat Tulsa twice in non-conference in 2013-14 before going 0-18 in Big 12 play.
BIG PICTURE
Washington: The Huskies were dominant early behind Fultz but faded fast. They haven't shown much depth behind the McDonald's All-American and will need to find some to be competitive in the Pac-12.
TCU: The Frogs had some strong preseasons under former coach Trent Johnson as well, so it remains to be seen what this means with the difficult Big 12 season looming. But the Frogs have two straight wins over Power 5 conference foes led by top NBA prospects.
UP NEXT
Washington: The Huskies get a week off before traveling to No. 8 Gonzaga, the biggest test left before the start of Pac-12 play against Washington State on New Year's Day.
TCU: This was the start of eight straight games in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, seven at home. Arkansas State visits Saturday. The lone road game is at SMU. The last two in this home stretch are the first two in Big 12 play: No. 4 Kansas on Dec. 30 and unranked Oklahoma, a No. 2 seed in last season's NCAA Tournament, on Jan. 3.
