FORT WORTH, Texas (Interstat) — The Arizona Wildcats, the nation’s last remaining undefeated team in men’s Division I basketball, used a dominant first half to build an insurmountable lead and then weathered a determined second-half rally by Texas Christian to secure an 86-73 victory Saturday at Dickies Arena.

In a game organized by the Big 12, Arizona improved to 16-0 overall, while TCU fell to 11-5 before a crowd of 6,082.

The most important part of the game was Arizona’s stifling first-half defense, which set the tone and built the cushion necessary to survive TCU’s offensive surge after halftime. The Wildcats held the Horned Frogs to just 27 points on 10-of-30 shooting in the opening period, forcing eight turnovers and blocking two shots. This defensive intensity allowed Arizona to race out to a 43-27 lead at the break despite its own occasional offensive struggles.

TCU emerged from halftime with renewed energy, opening the second half on a 13-4 run to cut the deficit to seven points. The Horned Frogs, led by guard Brock Harding’s playmaking and a scoring burst from Tanner Toolson, outscored Arizona 46-43 in the second half and shot 50 percent from the floor. However, the Wildcats’ lead, built on that first-half foundation, never dipped below seven points. Each time TCU threatened, Arizona answered with a key basket, often from Koa Peat or Jaden Bradley, to maintain control.

Peat, a 6-foot-8 sophomore from Chandler, Arizona, was the game’s top performer, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block in 31 minutes. He was efficient inside, making 9 of his 14 field goal attempts. He was supported by a balanced offensive effort that saw four other Wildcats score in double figures. Anthony Dell’Orso, a 6-6 guard from Melbourne, Australia, added 17 points and four assists, while Bradley, a 6-3 guard from Rochester, New York, also scored 17 points and dished out four assists.

For TCU, Toolson provided a major spark off the bench. The 6-5 guard from Vancouver, Washington, scored a team-high 20 points in just 21 minutes, knocking down three 3-pointers. Harding, the starting point guard from Moline, Illinois, tallied 11 points and six assists. Forward David Punch of Harker Heights, Texas, contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Arizona’s victory was rooted in superior efficiency. The Wildcats posted an offensive rating of 114.5, scoring 86 points on 75 possessions, while holding TCU to a rating of 96.8 on the same number of trips. Arizona shot 50.7 percent from the field compared to TCU’s 42.4 percent and made one more 3-pointer despite attempting five fewer. The Wildcats also won the turnover battle, committing 10 while forcing 12, and held a slight edge in steals, 8-5.

Motiejus Krivas, Arizona’s 7-foot-2 center from Lithuania, controlled the paint with 10 rebounds and eight points. Tobe Awaka provided strong interior minutes off the bench, adding nine points and seven rebounds.

The game unfolded largely as expected by the oddsmakers. Arizona entered as a 7-point favorite and covered the spread. The total points scored, 159, went over the betting line of 151.5. Interstat’s ELO system had given the Wildcats an 83.7 percent probability to win.

Arizona will put its perfect record on the line next in a rivalry game against Arizona State on Wednesday. TCU begins a two-game road trip at BYU on Wednesday.