ABILENE – Angelo State guard
Chris Jones scored 18 points and added six assists, while
Demario Mayfield recorded his fourth double-double of the season to lead a contingent of seven double-figure scorers for the Rams who earned a 101-48 non-conference win over McMurry on Friday at the Kimbrell Arena.
The Rams (9-1) have now won four straight games and swept the season series over the War Hawks (2-5) after also earning a 104-48 win back on Nov. 18 at the Junell Center. ASU, which is averaging 90.5 points per game this season, jumped out to a 52-23 halftime lead after starting the game by shooting 22 of 27 (81.5 percent) and making five 3-pointers in the first half.
Omari Gudul finished the game with a season-high 15 points and added eight rebounds, while
Bilal Richardson and
Brentine Taylor each scored 13 points. Mayfield,
Marsell Holden and
Raijon Kelly each had 11 points for the Rams who finished the game shooting 66.1 percent from the field.
"It always makes the game easier when you're hitting shots and I thought our guys did a great job of putting their teammates in position to make shots and then we were able to knock them down," ASU head coach
Chris Beard said.
Mayfield recorded a season-best 14 rebounds to go along with his 11 points, while Richardson added five rebounds for the Rams who owned a 49-17 rebounding advantage and limited McMurry to 34.0 percent shooting. ASU also dominated the paint with a 60-14 scoring advantage in the paint and a 22-6 advantage on second-chance points.
"We did a good job of rebounding and executing our game plan," Gudul said. "We really make a point of playing strong defense and didn't play the scoreboard. We just try to make every play that we can and not worry about what the score is. Executing the game plan perfectly is all we are trying to do."
Jones led the Rams at halftime with 11 points and six assists, while Holden had 11 points with two 3-pointers and Kelly had nine points. Kelly and Holden each went 4-for-4 from the field in the first 20 minutes of play for the Rams who shot 81.5 percent from the field by hitting 22 of 27 shots. The Rams were also 5 of 6 from beyond the arc (83.3 percent) and owned a 20-8 rebounding advantage over the War Hawks. Mayfield led the Rams with six rebounds in the first half and had four points and two assists, while Taylor had seven points after hitting the first three shots he took in the game.
The Rams will return to action at 8 p.m. on Tuesday against Arlington Baptist at the Junell Center and will then host Arkansas-Monticello on at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20 before taking a two-week holiday break.Â
