TCU played another close contest Tuesday, but once again was able to escape with a win.

The Illinois State Redbirds hung tough with the Frogs and tied the game midway through the second half, but RJ Nembhard scored back-to-back buckets in a 21-second span to propel the Frogs to a 81-69 victory.

“‪That’s a good win for us against a good team that came out to play,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “I thought offensively we didn’t shoot well. That’s something we’ve got to get fixed.”

Nembhard scored five of his 10 points during a 13-3 run for the Frogs after ISU managed to tie the game at 59 with 9:17 left.

Desmond Bane had another monster night as he led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He also had nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block as he stuffed the stat sheet.

Jaire Grayer provided a spark as he connected on 4-of-6 three-pointers and finished with 15 points.

“When my time came I just made my shots. I’m a lot more comfortable,” Grayer said. “We’ve jelled a lot since day one. This is an awesome team. I love this team.”

Kevin Samuel scored 15 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks.

TCU (6-1) takes on USC (7-2) at 8 p.m. Friday in the first basketball game at the new Dickies Arena.

“We got to practice over there like a month ago,” Bane said. “It’s special that we get to play there.”