SAN ANGELO – Two teams off to the best start in their program's respective history will meet on Wednesday for the start of Lone Star Conference play at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville.
Angelo State (10-2) and No. 9 Tarleton State (11-0) are set to clash at 8 p.m. in the first of 14 conference games each team will face this season on their LSC schedule. The two teams split last season's games with the home team winning both games. TSU is currently 9-0 at home this season and are on a 16-0 streak at home dating back to Jan. 2, 2013. Â
"We have to stay aggressive all 40 minutes," ASU senior
Kenny Williams said. "We understand they are a good team and we respect them. But we are going to go out there with the same mindset of shooting the ball and strong defense. Any night in this conference you can lose. Every team is good and has good players. The competition level has increased from the first part of the season and we have to have a laser focus on the court."
The Rams, who own a 35-30 all-time advantage over Tarleton, have not won in Stephenville since a 64-47 victory on Feb. 8, 2001 – a string of 10 games and 13 years to the day of Wednesday's game.
ASU, which is coming off a 75-70 exhibition win over UTEP last Saturday in El Paso, is averaging 77.7 points per game and is limiting opponents to 69.0 per game. The Rams are shooting 51 percent from the field and their defensive effort has held the opposition to 39 percent. ASU's shooting percentage ranks 11th in the nation and first in the LSC, while its defense is 17th nationally and second in the conference. The Rams rank second in the LSC and 57th in assists per game (15.8) and third in the conference and 97th national in steals (7.5 per game).
Williams leads the Rams this season with 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. A 6-7 senior from St. Louis, Williams has recorded five double-doubles in his first year at ASU and also leads the team with 17 steals and is tied with
Daniel Skinner with 12 blocked shots. He is coming off a 20/9 performance in the exhibition game at UTEP. Williams has earned a LSC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honor this season and ranks 16th in the nation with his five double-doubles. He is third in the LSC in scoring, third in rebounding and leads in field goals made (82). He scored a season-high 28 points against East Central in the first game of the year and has scored 20 points or more in five games.
Skinner, a junior forward from Lancaster, is averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his first season at ASU. He also has 16 steals through 12 games and is shooting 60 percent from the field. Skinner recorded his lone double-double of the season with a 17/10 game against York College.
Bryan Hammond leads the Rams with 55 assists (4.6 per game) and is also contributing 9.7 points per game in his senior season. A New Orleans native, Hammond has scored in double figures five times this season, including scoring 19 against York College and Western New Mexico. He set a career-best with eight assists in a home win over McMurry in early December and is third in the LSC in assists per game.
Tommy Woolridge is adding 7.8 points per game with
Chris Talkington providing 6.1 points. Woolridge scored 19 points at UTEP, including hitting five 3-pointers for the Rams and was named the LSC's Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Talkington is averaging 12.4 points per game in the past five games, including scoring a season-high 17 against Arkansas-Monticello. A senior from Grand Prairie, Talkington transferred to ASU last season along with Hammond from Nichols State. Talkington leads the team with 15 3-pointers, while Woolridge has made 13. Talkington is hitting 53 percent of his 3-point attempts (14-26) during the past five games. The Rams are shooting 33 percent on 3-pointers (57-168).
Omari Gudul is averaging 3.9 rebounds and 4.6 points per game with
Thomas Brandsma at 2.6 rebounds and 3.3 points. Gudul, a sophomore who is originally from Congo, has one double-double this season with a 13/12 performance against York College.
Reggie Sutton is scoring 5.2 points and freshman
Chantz Chambers 6.1 points per game with three double-figure scoring outings. Fifteen Rams have seen playing time this season.
Tarleton State, which is one of only 12 NCAA DII teams still undefeated, has dominated its non-conference schedule having outscored its opponents by a national-best average score of 31.2 points per game. The Texan lead the LSC with 91.4 points per game and have limited their opposition to 60.2 points per game. TSU is coming off a 79-68 win over South Dakota Mines last Saturday at home and have an impressive 86-69 win over No. 5 Western Washington on its resume. Â
Chuck Guy leads Tarleton State this season with 16.7 points, including hitting 69 of 74 (93 percent) of his free throws. Guy, a senior guard from Fort Worth who started his career at Arkansas-Little Rock, also leads TSU with 22 steals and 67 assists through 11 games. His assist total ranks 17th in the nation, while his free throw percentage is sixth. Guy is a two-time LSC Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 19, Dec. 23).
De'Andre Upchurch is adding 14 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while Tashawn Mabry is averaging 11.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Upchurch is a junior from Flint, Mich., while Mabry is a junior forward from Rocky Mount, N.C. who has added six blocks. Mohammed Lee joins a contingent of four Texans in double-figures with 10.2 points per game. A reserve, Lee is a junior guard from the Bronx, N.Y. who is second on the team with 15 steals and was named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week on Dec. 10.
Jon Cathey-Macklin leads the Texans with 17 blocked shots and is adding 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 points per game. Daven Carter is adding 9.8 points per game and leads TSU with 7.0 rebounds. Carter, a junior forward from Duncanville, has secured 37 offensive rebounds and 40 defensive boards and was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 23. Coleman Furst, who has started all 11 games, is averaging 4.3 points and has 13 assists in his senior season out of Denison. Michael Hardge is averaging 6.7 points and Damion Clemons is scoring 5.6 points.
The Texans ranked first in the conference in 17 categories, including being the national leader in scoring margin and are fourth nationally in scoring defense (60.2). TSU is slightly behind the Rams in field-goal percentage at 51.0 percent which is 12 nationally and are 13th nationally by limiting opponents to 38.1 shooting. Their 56 blocks as a team ranks 31st nationally.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The game will be broadcast live on 1260 KKSA with Jeremy Bryant providing play-by-play along with pregame and postgame interviews. Tarleton State will provide live stats and video (for charge) with links available at the top of this release. AngeloSports.com will provide in-game updates at www.twitter.com/AngeloSports
UP NEXT: Angelo State will return to action at 5 p.m. on Sunday against Texas A&M-Commerce (11-2, 0-1 LSC) at the Junell Center.
