FORT WORTH, Texas -- Guard play is the key to winning in the Big 12 and TCU has showed during the flawless start to its 2017-18 season that it has the backcourt to play with and beat just about anyone on its schedule.

On Friday night, the Horned Frogs' guard duo of Alex Robinson and Jaylen Fisher were the headliners as No. 15 TCU found its stride late in the game to pull away from upset-minded William & Mary 86-75 at Schollmaier Arena.

Robinson scored 23 points and Fisher added 21, including 17 in the second half, for TCU, which needed everything the two had and more to hold off spirited William & Mary.

The victory was the 17th straight for the Horned Frogs (12-0), setting a program record and extending their nation-leading streak for consecutive wins. It was TCU's final game before beginning the gauntlet of Big 12 play. Six of the 10 teams in the conference are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

TCU coach Jamie Dixon said the Horned Frogs' continued run of success has changed the expectations for his team, both inside the locker room and in the college basketball pecking order.

"Everybody's kind of talking (about) us in a different light to where we're picked and where we're ranked," Dixon said after Friday's win. "I don't spend a lot of time on it. I think we're good. I know we can be better. And that's what we're going to work on these four days when we get back from Christmas. There's room to improve, defensively, especially."

TCU led just 73-70 after a layup by William & Mary's Justin Pierce with 5:52 to play. But the Horned Frogs began to pull away, forging a 10-2 run in the next five minutes.

The scoring totals for Robinson and Fisher were career highs. JD Miller added 12 points for TCU, and Vladimir Brodziansky and Desmond Bane hit for 11 points each as all five Horned Frogs starters reached double figures.

"We have a great feel for the game and every one on this team can get shots and make things happen," Fisher said. “Everybody wants to take a big shot but it's more important for us to take and make good shots. If I just made a shot, my teammates work to get me the ball -- it comes from the confidence we all have in each other."

Matt Milon led William & Mary (7-4) with 22 points. Connor Burchfield scored 18 for the Tribe. Paul Rowley and Nathan Knight had 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Justin Pierce grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Horned Frogs led by as many as eight points in the first half before settling for a 36-31 advantage at halftime. Robinson paced TCU with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. the Horned Frogs outshot the Tribe 53.3 percent-32.3 percent and outrebounded the Tribe 23-14 in the first 20 minutes.

William & Mary stayed in the game with its 3-point shooting, with seven of its 10 made baskets in the first half coming from beyond the arc. Milon led the way for the Tribe, scoring 11 points and going 3 of 6 from long distance. Pierce grabbed seven rebounds in the first half to lead all players.

"We didn't come to give them a scare -- we came to win a ballgame," William & Mary coach Tony Shaver said. "We competed hard enough to win today, but we just couldn't stop them defensively.

"We went after them; our offensive execution was OK. We've made a lot of strides over the past few weeks, but we have a lot left to do before we can win games like this."

NOTES: TCU played without leading scorer Kendrich Williams, who is nursing a knee injury. ... The Horned Frogs now lead the series against William & Mary 2-0. The only other meeting between the teams was a 76-71 victory by TCU on Dec. 30, 1964, in El Paso, part of the Sun Bowl Carnival. ... William & Mary was picked to finish eighth in the Colonial Athletic Association. ... TCU is 41-16 when playing as a ranked team, including 20-2 at home. ... Founded in 1693, William & Mary is the second-oldest college in America.