TCU holds off Texas Southern 77-64

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Kyan Anderson scored 21 points to lead Texas Christian to a 77-64 win over Texas Southern on Sunday.

The Horned Frogs (9-3) took control of their final non-conference game with a 17-2 run sparked by a Brandon Parrish 3-pointer late in the first half but Texas Southern kept battling back, narrowing the gap to 40-34 at the break. TCU then secured the win with a 10-4 spurt in the closing minutes to hold off an aggressive second-half challenge by the Tigers that twice shaved the lead to just three points.

"Texas Southern is a good basketball team," said TCU coach Trent Johnson. "Offensively, one of the things we talked about is them being one of the most efficient and explosive teams we have faced to this point."

Amric Fields contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win, while Parrish added 13 points and Karviar Shepherd had 10.

After missing all but three games last season and the first three of this season with an ACL injury, Fields continues to deliver double-figure scoring but Jones said he's cautious about when and how he plays him.

"The most important thing for me, this team, and Amric, is that when he's out there I have more reservations about him being reinjured," Johnson said. "When I look out there, it's a matter of if he's OK. At one point he said he was fine, but I didn't feel too good so I took him out."

Fields acknowledged he's still struggling.

"I was really tired," he said. I'm pretty out of shape.

"That was a team that likes to get down the floor. There were times where I was wheezing and gimping down the floor and had to tell the coach to take me out."

Texas Southern (4-8) took a four-point lead midway through the first half but couldn't stop TCU down the stretch even while challenging twice in the second half.

The first came on a free throw by Madarious Gibbs following a tip-in by D'Angelo Scott that brought the Tigers to within three at 42-39 with 18:39 remaining before the Frogs began pulling away again on a Fields layup. Texas Southern again closed to within three a few minutes later on a 3-pointer by Law Johnson-Danner that made it 48-45 before a three-point play by Fields who also hit a pair of free throws to begin putting the game out of reach.

Aaric Murray and Jose Rodriguez led Texas Southern with 18 points apiece, and Scott had 10 rebounds.