Hot-shooting TCU routs Jackson State to cap nonconference schedule

David Punch tallied 20 points and five teammates scored in double figures as TCU completed its nonconference schedule with a 115-64 shellacking of Jackson State on Monday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Horned Frogs (10-3) used a 24-2 run bridging the final four minutes of the first half and the first three of the second to turn a 12-point lead into 66-32 advantage and never looked back.

TCU, fresh off a seven-day break, poured it on through the rest of the game, producing a season-high in points and eclipsing the 100-point mark for the second time this year.

Micah Robinson added 19 points for the Horned Frogs, with Xavier Edmonds racking up 16, Liutauras Lelevicius hitting for 15, Kayden Edwards scoring 14, Jace Posey scoring 12 points and Brock Harding dishing out 10 assists. TCU shot 65.2% from the field and has won five straight games.

Daeshun Ruffin led Jackson State (1-12) with 21 points, while Jayme Mitchell Jr. and Dorian McMillian had 13 apiece. The Tigers have dropped six consecutive contests.

TCU controlled the game from the jump, scoring the first 10 points with the run bookended by 3-pointers by Jayden Pierre, the latter just over three minutes into the opening half. Jackson State swung back, culling its deficit to 14-10 after a layup by Mitchell at the 13:07 mark.

The Horned Frogs reeled off 11 of the ensuing 13 points, capping its run in a dunk by Punch with 9:56 left in the half and with TCU up 25-12. The margin ballooned to 20 points after Lelevicius's 3-pointer with 6:22 remaining, but the Tigers stayed in the game, using a 12-4 spurt punctuated by Ruffin's jumper from beyond the arc with 4:41 to play in the half to claw back to 42-30.

The rest of the first half belonged to the Horned Frogs. They finished with a 13-2 run that included three straight 3-pointers by Edwards, the last of which gave TCU a 55-32 edge at the break.

Punch and Edmonds led the Horned Frogs with 10 points each before halftime while McMillian paced Jackson State with nine points. TCU outshot the visitors 55.6% to 41.1% in the half and its reserves outscored the Tigers' bench players 20-0.

The Horned Frogs continued their surge after halftime, scoring the first 11 points of the second half to expand their lead to 66-32.

--Field Level Media