SAN ANGELO – Jovan Austin scored 19 points and Antonio Dye added 16 to help lead the Angelo State men's basketball team to a 57-52 upset win over Tarleton State on Wednesday at Stephens Arena in the Junell Center.

The Rams (3-4, 1-2 LSC) snapped a four-game losing streak and rebounded from two tough losses to start LSC play by beating the defending champions and preseason pick to win the conference this season. ASU, which also ended a four-game losing streak against the Texans, was down 16-5 before going on a 15-3 run in the final 10 minutes of the first half and held a 23-21 lead at halftime.
 
“I thought our guys did a great job of staying with it,” ASU head coach Fred Rike said. “I thought the first 10 minutes of the game that we really didn't look confident. I just tried to smile at my guys and tell them that good things are going to happen if you play hard. I thought we did that and we had guys make plays at the end. Jovan Austin was spectacular tonight and our whole team only turned the ball over seven times.”

Angelo State shot 34 percent from the floor, but made up for it by creating 19 Tarleton State turnovers and limiting its turnovers to seven. The Rams made seven 3-pointers in the game, including five in the second half. Austin scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half and made two 3-pointers and knocked down 5-of-6 shots from the free-throw line. He led the team with four assists and hit four free throws within the final 17 seconds of the game to seal the win for the Rams.

“We executed our defense,” Austin said. “We haven't been doing that lately and have been letting people get in the paint. The attitude really changed. Practices weren't that good before the losses and we didn't want to let that happen again. We picked it up and were more psychical.”

Austin added, “Free throws are free. You have to hit them.”

Dye finished the game with his 16 points and also led Angelo State with six rebounds with three coming on each end of the court. The lone senior on the Rams' roster, Dye hit three 3-pointers and had two assists and a block.

“We didn't shoot well at the start of the game,” Dye said. “Coach told us to keep shooting and that he believed in us. We played real good defense and that got us back in the game.”

Bryan Hammond added nine points and four rebounds, while Dakota Rawls had five points and two rebounds. Darrion Tillman and Chris Talkington contributed four rebounds and two points each, while Zach Jones added five rebounds and two points.

 “We really came together in practice (after the loss) and we had a good game play,” Hammond said. “We played hard defense and made shots. I feel like this is a big statement and a confidence booster for us.”

Chuck Guy led Tarleton State with 14 points, while Davene Carter and De'Andre Upchurch added 10 points each. The Texans, who were playing their first LSC game of the season and also their first road game, shot 40 percent from the game but were limited to eight fewer shots than the Rams and were held to 25 percent shooting from beyond the arch on 16 attempts.

The Rams return to action at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Texas A&M-Commerce and will not play at home again until 2013 when they host Midwestern State on Jan. 5.