Skip To Main Content

Angelo State University Athletics

Events and Results

Tommy Woolridge

Men's Basketball By Wes Bloomquist || wes.bloomquist@angelo.edu

Rams, Mustangs set for top-25 showdown

SAN ANGELO – A national top-25 showdown is set with the No. 11/8-ranked Angelo State Rams traveling to play No. 23/20 Midwestern State at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls.

The Rams (15-1, 3-0 LSC) have matched the all-time program record with a 10-game winning streak following a pair of lopsided wins over West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico last weekend, while MSU (15-3, 4-0 LSC) is on an 11-game winning streak and was off last weekend following a win at Tarleton State last Wednesday. The Mustangs own a 9-0 record on their home court this season which includes a 61-57 win over Texas A&M-Commerce and a 73-58 win over WT in conference action.

"Midwestern is a difficult team to play against," ASU head coach Chris Beard said. "It starts with their talent. They have several players who are all-conference type guys. Their team is balanced with good guard play on the perimeter and size and athleticism inside. Nelson (Haggerty) can flat out coach. His staff with Tres (Segler) and Jon (Trilli) are hard-working guys. Nelson's teams always compete and play together with an identity of toughness. Midwestern has won championships and made the NCAA Tournament multiple times in recent years for a reason. They have talented players who are well-coached into a team. Our players are looking forward to the challenge and opportunity of Wednesday's game. We understand how difficult this will be. It should be a great college basketball game." 

Angelo State is 4-1 this season away from San Angelo, including the 28-point win last Wednesday in Canyon and its lone loss coming in a 70-67 decision against Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado on Nov. 28. ASU also has road-wins over Western New Mexico and McMurry along with a neutral-court victory over Western State Colorado on its resume. ASU's only other top-25 matchup came with the Rams earning a 78-60 win over then-No. 3 Tarleton State. The Rams went 1-3 against Midwestern State last season, earning an 83-68 win at the Junell Center before dropping a 78-68 decision in Wichita Falls and then falling 82-63 at the LSC Basketball Championships in Allen. ASU last won on the D.L. Ligon Coliseum court in 2013 when the Rams upset the Mustangs, 53-50, on Feb. 16, 2013 to snap a 20-game losing streak at MSU.

ASU, which will host Cameron at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Junell Center, leads the nation with a 56.1 field-goal percentage and a 30.2 scoring margin advantage over its opponents this season and is second nationally with 337 assists. The Rams are third in the nation with a 1.70 assist-to-turnover margin, 21.1 assists per game and are fourth in scoring offense (93.9 points per game) and 30.19 defensive rebounds per game. Defensively, the team ranks fifth in the nation by limiting opponents to a 37.7 field-goal percentage and they are 10th with 10.3 steals per game.

To further demonstrate the defensive prowess of this season, ASU has limited its opposition to under 35-percent shooting in nine games this season and has had a plus-10 rebounding margin advantage in 11 of 16 games. Offensively, the Rams have shot over 50 percent in 14 games, over 60 percent in five games and have had 15 more team assists in 13 games. The combination of defense and offensive focus has led to the team outscoring its opponents by 30 or more points in 10 games and the team winning by double digits in 14 of the 16 games played. Additionally, the Rams are shooting 39.3 percent as a team on 3-pointers while the opposition is shooting 37.7 percent from the field.

Angelo State's national rankings are the highest in program history, surpassing the 1983-84 team which was ranked No. 13 on Jan. 16, 1984. The No. 11 ranking comes in the NABC poll which is conducted by coaches, while the No. 8 ranking is by D2SIDA Media Poll which is voted on by sports information directors. ASU was previously ranked No.14 in the NABC poll and No. 10 in the D2SIDA Media Poll. This is the first time ASU has ever been a top-10 team. MSU was ranked No. 24 last week in the D2SIDA poll and was receiving votes from the coaches.  
 
RAMS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (All-Time)
In the NABC National Rankings: 15 (No. 14, Jan. 2, 1984; No. 17, Jan. 9, 1984; No. 13, Jan. 16, 1984; No. 15, Jan. 23, 1984; No. 17, Jan. 30, 1984; No. 25, Feb. 26, 2001; No. 25, Jan. 28, 2002; No. 25, Dec. 16, 2008; No. 23, Feb. 24, 2009; No. 22, Dec. 10, 2013; No. 23, Nov. 25, 2014; No. 22, Dec. 27, 2014; No. 19, Jan. 6, 2015; No. 14, Jan. 13, 2015; No. 11, Jan. 20, 2015)
In the D2SIDA Media Poll National Rankings: 5 (No. 16, Dec. 2, 2014, No. 19, Dec. 30, 2014; No. 15, Jan. 6, 2015; No. 10, Jan. 13, 2015; No. 8, Jan. 20, 2015)
 
RAM ROSTER REPORT
Chris Jones is second in the nation with 48 steals this season and is only one behind the national leader Byron Sanford. Jones, who leads the conference with his steals total and is also the LSC leader with 88 assists, is a three-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week and has one LSC Offensive Player of the Week honor on his resume. He is currently 16th in the nation and second in the conference with a 64.4 field-goal percentage and leads the LSC with 105 field goals made. A senior from Dallas, Jones is averaging 15.2 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 4.3 rebounds per game in his first season with the Rams. Jones is coming off a 21-point performance against ENMU where he also had five assists and a steal against the Greyhounds. He has scored in double digits in 14 of 16 games this season and established a season-best 12 assists in a game against York College. He has recorded seven steals against York College and has three or more steals in 11 games this season.

Demario Mayfield leads the Rams at 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season and is currently only one of six players in the nation to have recorded a triple-double. Mayfield, who also has six double-doubles, is coming off an 18-point, seven-rebound performance against ENMU and is averaging 19.0 points per conference game this season. He scored a season-best 23 points against Colorado Mesa, Western State and UTPB and scored 22 points in the ASU win over Tarleton State in the conference opener. Mayfield currently ranks second in the conference in scoring and is third in rebounding and fourth in assists (67). A senior from Royston, Georgia, Mayfield has emerged as one of the top overall players in the nation and has scored in double digits in 14 of 16 games this season. He recorded his triple-double with 14 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds against Arlington Baptist and is shooting 52.9 percent from the field. His 4.2 assists per game ranks fourth in the conference and his scoring average is only behind the 17.6 points per game from Darrell Williams who is in his first season at A&M-Commerce after transferring from Oklahoma State. Mayfield has also provided 29 steals this season (1.8 per game) and has scored 20 or more points in five games this season.

Marsell Holden is coming off a career-night where he scored 26 points after hitting five 3-pointers and going 8 of 11 from the field against ENMU. Holden, who is second in the conference with 47 3-pointers this season and 10th in scoring average, is shooting 44.8 percent from beyond the arc this season and is averaging 14.4 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 games this season, including scoring 20 or more points in three games and is averaging 15.3 points per game in the first three conference games. He set a season-best by hitting seven 3-pointers against Arkansas-Monticello and has made three or more 3-pointers in nine games this season. A senior from Farrell, Pennsylvania, Holden played two seasons at San Jacinto College and one year at Morehead State before transferring to ASU. He has also added 21 assists and 14 steals from the shooting guard position and has a 51.0 field-goal percentage on 151 total shots.

Raijon Kelly is also coming off a career-high after scoring 22 points in the win over ENMU. Kelly went 7 of 7 from the field in the game and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. He also added four assists and five rebounds in the game. Kelly, who is a shooting guard from St. Paul, Minnesota, is in his first season at ASU after transferring from Samford University. He is averaging 11.3 points, 4.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Rams this season and has scored in double digits in 11 games this season. Kelly, who is 20th in the conference in scoring average, has scored in double figures in nine straight games, including scoring 10 points against Tarleton State and 11 at West Texas A&M last Wednesday. He is currently averaging 14.3 points per game in LSC play. He is shooting 62.4 percent from the field (73 of 117) and is 21 of 23 (91.3 percent) from the free-throw line. He established a career-best 10 assists in a game against Arkansas Tech where he also had 15 points for a double-double.

Tommy Woolridge is coming off the two strongest scoring performances of his senior season where he scored a season-high 14 points at West Texas A&M and then scored 10 points in the weekend win over ENMU. Woolridge went 3 of 4 on 3-pointers against the Buffs and 2 of 2 from beyond the arc against the Greyhounds. In his second season with the Rams, Woolridge is averaging 5.4 points per game and has mad 15 3-pointers after leading the Rams with 37 3-pointers last season.

Angelo State has been strong contributions from the junior class which is bolstered by Omari Gudul, Brentine Taylor, Bilal Richardson, Thomas Brandsma and DeQuavious Wagner. Richardson has started the past four games for the Rams and is averaging 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first season at ASU. An Atlanta native, Richardson has also added 10 blocked shots for the Rams and is shooting 65.6 percent (42 of 64) from the field. He has scored in double digits in five games this season and recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds against Arkansas-Monticello. Gudul, who is in his second season with the Rams, leads the team with 13 blocked shots and is averaging 7.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He has recorded four double-figure scoring games this season, including scoring a season-high 15 points in a road win at McMurry.  

Brandsma is also in his second season with the Rams and is averaging 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 points per game. A forward from Colleyville, Brandsma transferred to ASU from McMurry where he played for Beard and Boone during his freshman season. He has also added nine assists and three steals this season. Brandsma's brother, Kevin Brandsma, played basketball at Midwestern State. Taylor is in his first season at ASU and is a Georgia native along with Mayfield and Richardson. Taylor is averaging 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and is shooting 66.7 percent from the field on 51 shot attempts. He has also added six assists and three steals. Wagner plays at the guard position and is averaging 4.3 points per game and has added 31 assists and 14 steals. Wagner, who transferred to ASU from the University of Arkansas and is averaging 14.2 minutes per game, has also been playing strong defense for the Rams against the guards of the LSC as a reserve.
 
MIDWESTERN STATE MUSTANG REPORT
A pair of Mustangs were honored this week by the conference with Abiodun Adegoke earning LSC Defensive Player of the Week and Bretson McNeal earning the offensive honors for their work against Tarleton State. McNeal, who is a junior from Minneapolis, scored 23 points against the Texans and currently leads MSU with 16.3 points per game which ranks fifth in the conference. He is shooting 47.3 percent from the field and leads the team with 45 3-pointers this season. Adegoke is adding 7.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game along with 11 blocked shots.

Xavier Blackburn is second on the team with 10.5 points per game and is tied with Adegoke for the team lead with 6.2 rebounds per game. Blackburn, who was an LSC second-team selection last year as a junior, also leads the Mustangs with 30 steals (1.7 per game) and has 33 assists on his senior-season resume. He was selected as the LSC Preseason Player of the Year before the start of this season.
Kevin Wagner leads MSU with 60 assists this season which ranks ninth in the conference and he is sixth in the LSC with 60 assists.

The Mustangs are averaging 77.4 points per game and have limited the opposition to 62.6 points per game and to a 37.5 field-goal percentage. Opponents have shot 27.3 percent on 3-pointers against MSU this season and the Mustangs own a 12.4 rebounding margin advantage and have blocked 102 shots (5.6 per game). MSU is shooting 46.8 percent from the field overall this season and 44.5 percent through its first four conference games. The Mustangs are third in the nation in blocked shots, second in defensive field-goal percentage and fifth in rebounding margin.

Midwestern State will follow its game against the Rams with a road game on Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Thomas  Brandsma

#22 Thomas Brandsma

F
6' 5"
Junior
Omari Gudul

#23 Omari Gudul

F
6' 10"
Junior
Tommy  Woolridge

#35 Tommy Woolridge

G
6' 0"
Senior
Demario Mayfield

#00 Demario Mayfield

G/F
6' 5"
Senior
Marsell Holden

#3 Marsell Holden

G
5' 11"
Senior
Chris Jones

#5 Chris Jones

G
6' 2"
Senior
Raijon Kelly

#11 Raijon Kelly

G
6' 3"
Senior
Brentine Taylor

#12 Brentine Taylor

F
6' 6"
Junior
Bilal Richardson

#30 Bilal Richardson

F
6' 8"
Junior
DeQuavious Wagner

#4 DeQuavious Wagner

G
5' 10"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Thomas  Brandsma

#22 Thomas Brandsma

6' 5"
Junior
F
Omari Gudul

#23 Omari Gudul

6' 10"
Junior
F
Tommy  Woolridge

#35 Tommy Woolridge

6' 0"
Senior
G
Demario Mayfield

#00 Demario Mayfield

6' 5"
Senior
G/F
Marsell Holden

#3 Marsell Holden

5' 11"
Senior
G
Chris Jones

#5 Chris Jones

6' 2"
Senior
G
Raijon Kelly

#11 Raijon Kelly

6' 3"
Senior
G
Brentine Taylor

#12 Brentine Taylor

6' 6"
Junior
F
Bilal Richardson

#30 Bilal Richardson

6' 8"
Junior
F
DeQuavious Wagner

#4 DeQuavious Wagner

5' 10"
Junior
G