By Wes Bloomquist  ||  wes.bloomquist@angelo.edu

SAN ANGELO – Demario Mayfield led a contingent of five double-figure scorers with 15 points as the Angelo State basketball team cruised to a 97-60 season-opening win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Friday in the Ed Messbarger Tip-Off Classic at the Junell Center.

"We played well as a team, especially in the first half," ASU head coach Chris Beard said. "One of the strengths of our team is our depth. Thirteen different players scored for us in the game. We shared the ball and had balanced scoring."

The Rams (1-0) opened the season with their most points in an opener since beginning the 2003-04 season with a 109-44 win over Hillsdale. ASU will return to action at 7 p.m. on Saturday against Texas A&M International before also hosting McMurry at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Junell Center as part of a five-game home stand to start the season. The Dustdevils (0-1) opened their season on Friday with a 92-88 overtime loss to Eastern New Mexico at the Junell Center in the Ed Messbarger Tip-Off Classic's first game.

Mayfield scored his team-leading 15 points on a 5-for-10 shooting performance from the field and also went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line and had four assists and four rebounds in his first game as a Ram. Kyle Vasher added 12 points, while Chris Jones and Dakota Rawls had 11 points and Bilal Richardson contributed 10 points. Rawls, who missed last season with injury, went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc against the Aggies and also added four rebounds to the stat sheet. Jones led the Rams with six assists and five rebounds to go along with his 11 points, while Thomas Brandsma led the team with six rebounds.

The Rams finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field (38-for-74) and owned a 47-34 rebounding advantage over the Aggies. ASU limited its turnovers to only 16, while forcing 30 turnovers with Jones and Tommy Woolridge finishing the game with four steals. Omari Gudul and Raijon Kelly added eight points and two rebounds, while Woolridge scored four points and freshman Jovan Yancy scored seven points.

"We have a long ways to go as a team," Beard said. "Tomorrow night will be a real challenge against a well-coached and talented Texas A&M International team. They were an NCAA tournament team last year and we have a lot of respect for their program."