SAN ANGELO – Two of the top teams in the nation and Lone Star Conference will collide when the No. 8/7-ranked Angelo State Rams host No. 25 Texas A&M-Commerce at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Junell Center.

The Rams (17-1, 5-0 LSC) are on a program-record 12-game winning streak and are in the NABC Top-10 for the first time in program history, while the Lions (15-3, 4-1 LSC) are riding a six-game winning streak and entered the national rankings on Tuesday for the first time this season. ASU, which has been ranked five straight weeks in the NABC poll and six times overall this season, comes into the game leading the conference standings and is the top-ranked scoring team at 91.7 points per game and the Lions are second at 82.7 points per game. The Rams are 12-0 on their home court this season and are 23-2 over the past two seasons under head coach Chris Beard and associate head coach Cinco Boone, while Commerce is 7-3 away from its home court this season.

This is the third top-25 matchup of the season for the Rams who are 2-0 in those games. ASU knocked off then-No. 3 Tarleton State 78-60 on Jan. 7 and then-No. 23 Midwestern State by a score of 72-55 last Wednesday in Wichita Falls. The Lions are in the national rankings for the first time at No. 25 after receiving votes for the majority of the year. The Rams are No. 7 in the D2SIDA Media poll, moving up from No. 8 last week. The media poll is voted on by select sports information directors from throughout the country.

The Lions are coming off a week where they earned a 91-67 win over Eastern New Mexico and a 76-75 road-win at West Texas A&M, while the Rams remained the only unblemished team in LSC play with the win over Midwestern State and then took a 75-57 decision over Cameron on Saturday at the Junell Center. ASU will follow its game against Commerce with a road test at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday before hosting West Texas A&M next Wednesday back at the Junell Center. The Lions will host Tarleton State on Saturday after playing the Rams.

Angelo State leads the nation with a 55.0 field-goal percentage and with its 28.8 scoring margin advantage, while the team is second nationally by limiting opponents to a 37.7 field-goal percentage. The Rams are fourth in the nation in total assists (362) and assists per game (20.1) and are fifth in defensive rebounding (29.44 per game) and scoring offense (91.7 points per game). ASU leads the LSC and is sixth nationally with a 1.61 assists-to-turnover ratio and is 10th in the nation with 10.2 steals per game and 13th with 183 total steals.

ASU has a 362-181 total assists advantage over its opponents this season and a 183-95 steals margin. The Rams have made 615 of 1,119 shots (55.0 percent) this season from the field, while the team is shooting 39.4 percent (128-325) on their 3-pointers. ASU is shooting 51.0 percent in conference play while its first five opponents have been limited to 38.3 percent. The Rams own a 22.4 scoring margin advantage in conference play and a plus-3.2 turnover margin advantage.

RAMS IN THE ALL-TIME NATIONAL RANKINGS
In the NABC National Rankings: 16 (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; No. 8, Jan. 27, 2015)
In the D2SIDA Media Poll National Rankings: 6 (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, No. 7, Jan. 27, 2015)
 
ANGELO STATE RAM ROSTER REPORT
Demario Mayfield leads the Rams this season with seven double-doubles and is averaging 16.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season. Named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performances last week against Midwestern State and Cameron, Mayfield has leads ASU with 104 defensive rebounds and is second on the team in assists (73) and steals (33). A senior from Royston, Georgia, Mayfield has scored in double digits in 16 of 18 games this season, including a season-best 23 points against Colorado Mesa, Western State Colorado and Texas-Permian Basin. He had his seventh double-double of the season last Wednesday when he had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the road win against MSU. Mayfield is second in the conference with his 16.3 points per game and is one of only seven players in the nation to have recorded a triple-double this season.

Marsell Holden is second in the conference with 53 3-pointers this season and is averaging 14.3 points per game. A senior from Farrell, Pennsylvania, Holden is 53 of 120 (44.2 percent) on 3-pointers this season and has made 32 of 38 (84.2 percent) shots from the free-throw line. Holden has the single-game high for the Rams after scoring 26 points against Eastern New Mexico after he hit five 3-pointers against the Greyhounds. He also recorded a career-best with seven 3-pointers against Arkansas-Monticello in a performance which earned him the LSC Offensive Player of the Week honor. He has hit three or more 3-pointers in 11 games this season and five or more in four games. He scored 13 points in both games last week.

The LSC leader in assists and steals, Chris Jones is fourth in the nation with 52 steals and is 28th with his 95 assists. Jones is averaging 15.1 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game for the Rams in his senior season. A transfer from North Texas, Jones led the Rams with 18 points last Saturday in the win over Cameron and has scored in double-figures in 16 of 18 games this season. Jones, who is 17th in the nation with a 62.4 field-goal percentage, scored a season-best with 23 points against Western State and UTPB and recorded his first double-double with the Rams against York College when he had 16 points and 12 assists. Jones has had four or more assists in 14 games this season, including the 12 against York College and eight against McMurry. He had a season-high seven steals against York College, needing only three more to notch a triple-double performance. Jones is a three-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week recipient and has earned on LSC Offensive Player of the Week honor in his first season at ASU.  

Raijon Kelly is 11th in the nation with a 3.17 assist-to-turnover ratio and is averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Rams this season. Kelly, who is a senior from St. Paul, Minnesota, is shooting 61.1 percent from the field this season and has 68 assists for the Rams. He is currently sixth in the conference in assists and has scored in double digits in 12 games this season. Kelly scored a season-best 22 points in a win over ENMU when he went 7-for-7 from the field and then scored 14 points last Wednesday at Midwestern State. Kelly leads the Rams by making 26 of 29 free throws (89.7 percent) and recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists in the overtime win over Arkansas Tech. Kelly, who played his first three seasons at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, has recorded four or more assists in eight games this season.

Angelo State has been getting strong contributions from the junior class which is bolstered by Omari Gudul, Brentine Taylor, Bilal Richardson, Thomas Brandsma and DeQuavious Wagner. Gudul is coming off scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds against Cameron and is averaging 7.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In his second season at ASU after transferring from Ranger College, Gudul leads the Rams with 14 blocked shots. Richardson, who has started the past six games, is averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. An Atlanta, Georgia native, Richardson had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds against Arkansas-Monticello and scored a season-high 15 points against York College. Taylor is averaging 5.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and scored a season-high with 13 points at McMurry. He has made three starts this season and has played a valuable role as a reserve along with Wagner (4.1 ppg., 1.7 apg.) and Brandsma (2.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg.).
 
TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE LION REPORT
The Lions (15-3, 4-1 LSC) come into Wednesday's game on a six-game winning streak and are 7-3 away from Commerce this season. A&M-Commerce's lone conference loss came on the road with a 61-57 defeat at Midwestern State on Jan. 3, but the team has since won its past six games including LSC wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville, Cameron, Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M. The Lions, who are first in the nation with 31.67 defensive rebounds per game, are coming off a 76-75 win over West Texas A&M in Canyon on Saturday and are averaging 82.7 points per game this season and have a 13.4 scoring margin advantage. Commerce if currently fourth in the nation and the conference leaders in defensive field-goal percentage (38.0 percent) and sixth nationally in total rebounds (805). The Lions also lead the LSC with 376 free throws made this season.

Darrell Williams leads the LSC with 18.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game this season in his first year at A&M-Commerce. A 6-foot-8 senior, Williams played at Oklahoma State before arriving in Commerce this season. He is coming off 13th double-double of the season where he scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds in the win at WT. Williams has scored 20 or more points in nine games this season and also has 17 blocked shots. He scored a season-high 26 points against ENMU and Kingsville and recorded a season-best 21 rebounds against Arlington Baptist. Williams, who also had a 20-rebound performance against Dallas Baptist, is second in the nation with his 13 double-doubles, fourth in total rebounds (225) and fourth in defensive rebounds per game (8.72).

LaDon Carnegie is second on the team with 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season and is coming off a seven-assist, nine-point performance against the Buffs. Carnegie, who is a senior from Grand Rapids, scored a season-high 37 points against Dallas Baptist in the second game of the season and has scored 20 or more points in seven games this season. Carnegie has also added 39 assists and 26 steals for the Lions. Anthony Adams is adding 12.4 points per game and leads Commerce with 75 assists. Adams is a junior from Pontiac, Michigan who also leads the team with 35 steals.

Christian Macauley leads the Lions with 30 blocked shots and is averaging 8.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Macauley is a 6-foot-9 senior from Washington, D.C. who scored a season-high 14 points and grabbed four rebounds against the Buffs. He had a season-high three blocked shots against Cameron and McMurry. Macauley recorded his lone double-double of the season when he scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Dixie State. The Lions are also getting contributions from JR Owens (7.2 ppg., 3.5 rpg.), Everrett Pleasant (7.1 ppg., 5.1 rpg.) and Eddie Leal (5.5 ppg., 1.9 rpg.). De'Andre Carson has added 42 assists and is scoring 3.3 points per game.