SAN ANGELO – The No. 14/10-ranked Angelo State Rams get their first Lone Star Conference road opportunity on Wednesday when they take on West Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. in Canyon at the First United Bank Center.

The Rams (13-1, 1-0 LSC) are on an eight-game winning streak after opening LSC play last Wednesday with a 78-60 win over then No. 3-ranked Tarleton State at the Junell Center, while the Buffs (10-5, 1-1 LSC) are coming off an 83-82 win over Cameron when Antjuan Ball hit a shot with 1.8 seconds remaining to earn the victory. ASU swept WT in the season-series last season, but had lost the previous seven meetings to the Buffs coming into the year. WT is 10-2 this season after starting the year at 0-3 and is even in conference play after starting LSC pay with a 73-58 loss to Midwestern State. The Buffs, who are coached by Tom Brown, are 8-1 at home this season. Brown is in his first season in Canyon after moving to Texas from Winona State. The Rams are 3-1 away from San Angelo this season, with their lone loss coming to Colorado Mesa in a 70-67 decision on the Mavericks home court. ASU has road wins over Western New Mexico and McMurry along with a neutral-court victory over Western State Colorado on this season's resume. ASU went 3-4 on the road in conference play last season.

The Rams are now ranked No. 14 in the nation by the NABC and No. 10 by D2SIDA Media Poll. The rankings are the highest the team has been in either poll this season and comes after ASU was at No. 19 last week in the NABC poll and No. 15 in the media poll. The No. 14 ranking in the NABC poll is the highest ranking for the Rams since they were ranked No. 13 on Jan. 16, 1984 which is the highest ranking in program history. It is the 13th time in program history the Rams have been ranked in the coaches' poll and is the third straight week and the fourth time this season. The No. 10 ranking in the media poll is the highest ranking ever for the Rams. The media poll is in its first season and is voted on by sports information directors. 

ASU, which will host Eastern New Mexico at 6 p.m. on Saturday after its game against WT, is making a name for itself in the national rankings which are voted on, but more importantly, the team is doing work on the court to earn wins. Statistically, the Rams rank among the national elite throughout most categories, including leading the nation with 22.1 assists per game, a 55.6 field-goal percentage, a 30.3 scoring margin advantage and they are second in total assists with 309 this season. Built on defense, the Rams rank third in the nation defensively by limiting opponents to 37.3 percent shooting this season and are 10th with 153 steals and ninth in steals per game (10.9). The team's assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the nation at 1.79 and is just behind Minnesota State-Moorhead which is at a ratio of 2.05. ASU is also fourth in the nation with 30.3 defensive rebounds per game and its 10.9 rebounding margin advantage ranks sixth.

The Rams come into the 15th game of the season averaging 93.1 points per game and are limiting the opposition to only 62.8 points per game. ASU held Tarleton State to a season-low in points and field-goal percentage in the conference opener, while also owning the paint with a 26-14 scoring advantage inside. The Rams are creating 12.4 turnovers a game from the opposition (a +6.4 advantage)  and have only trailed at halftime twice this season (Mesa, 34-29; UTPB, 51-45). The Rams have scored in triple-digits four times this season with a season-high 113 points in a 39-point win over Arkansas-Monticello and have scored over 80 points in 12 of 14 games.

 
RAM ROSTER REPORT
Chris Jones, who is now second in the nation with 46 steals this season, recorded four steals and seven rebounds in the win over the Texans and helped limit TSU to a season-low in points and to 34.5 percent shooting. His steals total is only one behind Masceo Harmon (Central State) who leads NCAA Division II with 47 steals. He was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week on Monday and is the first three-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week this season and also has a LSC Offensive Player of the Week honor on his resume. Jones has helped spearhead a season of defensive dominance for the Rams who are third in the nation by limiting opponents to 37.3 percent shooting and they lead the nation with a 30.3 scoring margin advantage. The team is ninth in the nation with 10.9 steals per game, 10th by forcing 153 steals and sixth with a 10.9 rebounding margin advantage. Jones has recorded three or more steals in 11 of 14 games this season and has had 19 steals in the past four games. He established a season-high with seven steals in the win over York College and followed that effort with four more against the Texans. Along with being second in the nation in steals, he is 18th in the nation with 81 assists and 14th with a 64.0 field-goal percentage. Jones is adding 14.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Rams who are off to the best start in program history with a 13-1 record. He has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games, including scoring a career-high 23 points against Western State Colorado and Texas-Permian Basin. His had his first double-double of the season two weeks when he had 12 assists and 16 points against York College, missing out on a triple-double by only three steals.

Jones was high school teammates with WT's Tez Dumars at Lakeview Centennial and will be playing against his friend for the first time. Dumars currently leads the Buffs with 16.9 points per game after scoring 23 points against Cameron.

Demario Mayfield comes into Wednesday's game leading the Rams with 16.4 points and 7.6 rebounds after going for 22 points and five rebounds in last week's win over Tarleton State. A senior from Royston, Georgia, Mayfield has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games this season including scoring a season-best 23 points in games against Colorado Mesa and Western State Colorado. He has scored 20 or more points in five games this season and is one of only six players in the nation to have a triple-double. He recorded his triple-double with 14 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for the Rams against Arlington Baptist. Along with leading ASU in scoring and rebounding, he is second on the team with 63 assists and 25 steals this season. He is fourth in the LSC in scoring, third in rebounding and is second in the conference with six double-doubles. Mayfield has led the team in scoring in half of the games this season and has been the top rebounder in six games.

Marsell Holden is second in the conference with 42 3-pointers this season and is only behind WT's David Chavlovich who has 47 3-pointers in his freshman season for the Buffs. Holden is averaging 14.4 points per game and is hitting on 45.2 percent (42 of 93) from beyond the arc. He currently ranks 29th in the nation in total 3-pointers and is 26th with 3.0 3-pointers per game. A senior from Farrell, Pennsylvania, Holden has scored in double figures the past 10 games and has scored in double-digits in 12 of 14 games this season. He scored a career-best 23 points against Arkansas-Monticello when he drilled seven 3-pointers in a performance which earned him the LSC Offensive Player of the Week honor. He is coming off a 16-point effort against Tarleton State where he made 3 of 6 shots from beyond the arc. Holden, who has led the Rams in scoring in four games this season, has also added 19 assists and 10 steals to his statistical resume.  

Raijon Kelly is fourth on the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game and is third in assists with 58 in his senior season. A shooting guard from Minnesota, Kelly started his collegiate career by playing three seasons at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. A sharpshooter, he has made 61 of 102 shots (59.8 percent) and is averaging 4.1 assists per game. Kelly has started all 14 games this season and has scored in double figures in the past seven games. His season-high in points is 15, a total he has matched three times in games against Arkansas Tech, Texas-Permian Basin and York College. He is coming off a 10 point, five-assist performance against the Texans in his first LSC game of his career.

Angelo State has been strong inside the paint due to the play of the junior class which is bolstered by Omari Gudul, Brentine Taylor, Bilal Richardson and Thomas Brandsma. Gudul is averaging 7.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in his second season with the Rams after going for eight points and leading the team with seven rebounds against the Texans last Wednesday. From the Congo, Gudul started his collegiate career at Ranger College before transferring to ASU where he played last season as a sophomore. He currently leads the team with 10 blocked shots and scored a season-high 15 points at McMurry. Richardson has started the past two games and is averaging 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. A transfer player, Richardson is an Atlanta native who has been a force throughout the first 14 games of his career with the Rams. He has 24 offensive and 44 defensive rebounds this season and scored a season-best 15 points against York College. He had his first double-double of his career at ASU with a 10-point, 12-rebound performance against Arkansas-Monticello.

Taylor has been steady and productive for the Rams this season inside as well. Also a Georgia native along with Richardson and Mayfield, Taylor is averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the Rams. He has scored in double-digits three times this season, including a season-high 13 points in the road-win over McMurry. Taylor is shooting 71.4 percent (30 of 42) from the field this season and has 13 offensive rebounds through the first 14 games. Brandsma, who joined the Rams last season after playing his first season at McMurry, is averaging 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 points per game. He scored a season-high eight points in a neutral-court win over Western State Colorado and has secured three or more rebounds in 10 games this season. He has also contributed eight assists, five blocked shots and three steals.

Tommy Woolridge and DeQuavious Wagner are also giving the Rams a spark with Woolridge averaging 4.4 points per game and Wagner at 4.6 points per game. Woolridge led the Rams with 37 3-pointers last year as a junior and has made 10 3-pointers this season. Wagner, a junior who transferred in from Arkansas, has added 26 assists and 14 steals in his first season with the Rams.
 
WEST TEXAS A&M BUFF REPORT
The Buffs enter Wednesday's game having won seven of their last eight games following their win over Cameron last Saturday. The Buffs are averaging 80.07 points per game and are shooting 44.9 percent from the field this season. Western State Colorado is the only common opponent for ASU and WT so far this season. The Buffs fell 97-88 to the Mountaineers in double-overtime in the second game of their season, while the Rams earned an 89-73 win over WSC at the Colorado Mesa Thanksgiving Classic. The Buffs currently lead the Lone Star Conference by shooting 41.0 percent on 3-pointers and 146 total 3-pointers.

Dumars, a senior guard, leads the team with his 16.9 points per game and has also supplied 31 assists and 18 steals this season. Dumars has made 20 3-pointers and is shooting 41.0 percent from the field. He currently leads the LSC with 253 points and has played in 497 minutes which also leads the conference. Chavlovich, who leads the LSC in 3-point shooting, is averaging 15.9 points per game in his freshman season. A guard out of Arlington Bowie High School, he has made 47 3-pointers this season and also has 53 assists and 17 steals. Miles Gatewood leads the Buffs with 66 assists this season and is also adding 14.5 points per game. Gatewood is a senior from Portland, Oregon who started his collegiate career at USU-Eastern Utah before making his way to Canyon. He is shooting 43.3 percent from the field and is also adding 4.1 rebounds per game.

Ball leads WT with 8.1 rebounds per game which ranks second in the conference and is also adding 11.9 points per game. A senior from Collirene, Alabama, Ball leads the Buffs with a 55.6 field-goal percentage and is ninth in the nation with 3.93 offensive rebounds per game. Carl White is adding 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Buffs in his freshman season. White is from Chicago and went to Edwin G. Foreman High School which is the same school ASU guard Tommy Woolridge attended.

WT will return to action this weekend with a Saturday afternoon game at Texas A&M-Kingsville before travelling to play at Tarleton State next Wednesday. The Buffs will travel to play at Angelo State on Feb. 4 in the second game of the season series at the Junell Center.