WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Kenny Williams scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his Angelo State debut and helped lead the Rams to a 72-62 season-opening win over East Central University on Friday at the SWOSU Classic at the Rankin Williams Fieldhouse.

The Rams (1-0) fell behind early at 11-4 to the Tigers (0-1), but charged back with a 7-0 run to tie the game. ASU would then go on a 10-4 run capped by a Nash Nelson 3-pointer before ECU fought back to tie the game at 27. Four baskets by Williams and a layup by Daniel Skinner ended the first half on a 7-0 ASU run and gave the Rams a 34-27 halftime lead that they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game.

"East Central is a well-coached, good team with talented players," ASU head coach Chris Beard said. "Our team is a work in progress. We must continue to improve, but I thought our guys played hard and defended. We shot over 50 percent on offense and we held them to 36 percent shooting."

Williams scored his 28 points on a 12 of 16 shooting performance and also hit three free throws. Reggie Sutton and Skinner added 11 points for the Rams, while Bryan Hammond scored eight and led the Rams with seven assists. ASU finished the game shooting 54.9 percent from the floor, including 61.9 percent in the second half.

The Rams created 23 ECU turnovers and outscored the Tigers 19-14 off the turnovers and also dominated the paint with a 36-24 advantage inside. ASU finished the game with an 8-0 advantage on fast break points.

Henry Pwono led ECU with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Colby Carr scored 17 points and chipped in six rebounds. ASU limited the Tigers to a 36.8 shooting percentage in the game.
The Rams return to action at 7 p.m. on Saturday against Southwestern Oklahoma State in the final game of the SWOSU Classic before hosting Arlington Baptist at 8 p.m. on Tuesday in their home opener at the Junell Center.