Final Stats (.pdf)

WICHITA FALLS – Midwestern State's Chris Hagan was as good as any player Angelo State has seen this season as the senior led all scorers with 36 points, including 22 in the first half, as the Mustangs defeated the Rams, 83-59, at D.L. Ligon Coliseum Wednesday night. Hagan's point total was the most by any opposing player has scored against ASU this season and negated another 20-point effort from the Rams' Richard Thomas.

Hagan shot 13-of-21 from the field, including 9-of-12 from the three-point line, to help Midwestern State (20-7, 8-5 LSC South) to a 56.9 percent shooting effort for the game and hand Angelo State it's 19th-consecutive loss in Wichita Falls. Thomas led Angelo State (11-14, 7-6 LSC South) with 20 points and Steven Moore added 12, but the Rams fell behind early and couldn't keep pace. With the win, Midwestern State moved ahead of Angelo State in the South Division standings and forced the Rams to the fringe of postseason qualifying with the season finale against the top team in the division, Tarleton State, on Saturday at the Junell Center.

“It was a case where I felt our guys lost concentration a few times on defense and it just got away from us,” Angelo State head coach Fred Rike said. “They're a very good team and you can't make the mistakes that we made tonight and have a chance to win. They did a good job of guarding us and then when Richard Thomas picked up his third foul (in the first half) that hurt us.”

Hagan hit 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first half, including three three-pointers in the first three minutes while the Mustangs vaulted to a 16-2 lead. Angelo State closed the gap by the midpoint of the first half, taking the team's first lead on a close jumper by Andre Adams (20-19) at the 10:59 mark. The game was tightly contest for the next three minutes and was tied at 26-26 before Hagan's Mustangs got even hotter and the Rams went ice cold during a 19-0 run by MSU over more than seven minutes of game time. Adams hit a three-pointer with five seconds left in the opening period to end the drought, but the damage was done as ASU entered the break with a 45-29 deficit.

Angelo State trimmed the lead to 13 points three times in the first 12 minutes of the second half, but the No. 6 team in the South Central Region proved too much to overcome. The Mustangs led by as many as 28 points in the final minute of the game before settling for a 24-point, 83-59 final score.

The Rams kept pace on the glass and tied Midwestern State with 31 rebounds in the contest, but the Mustangs outscored ASU 34-24 in the paint and forced 21 turnovers. As a team, Midwestern State hit 12-of-22 (54.5 percent) of its three-point attempts in the game. Charlie Logan (16) and Darrick Thomas (10) both also reached double figures for MSU.

Adams and Trey Mays scored eight points for Angelo State, followed closely by LaDonn Huckaby with seven. Aseante Roberts pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Angelo State will close out the regular season at home Saturday against Tarleton State, with the women's contest slated to tipoff at 5:30 p.m. and the men's game to follow. Saturday is a ASU True Blue contest, with various activities scheduled before and during the game. Free t-shirts will be given to the first 200 students who show a valid ASU ID at the gate. The Rambelles have already clinched a spot in the LSC Tournament, while the men are still looking to earn their way in.

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