SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State Rams are ready to introduce themselves to the Lone Star Conference.

The No. 19/15-ranked Rams (12-1) own an impressive non-conference resume which includes bringing a seven-game winning streak into their conference opener against No. 3/5-ranked Tarleton State (12-0) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Junell Center. ASU enters LSC action leading the nation with a 56.3 field-goal percentage, 294 total assists and a 31.2 scoring margin advantage and is in the top-10 in assist-turnover ratio, assists per game, defensive rebounds per game, field-goal percentage defense, rebound margin, scoring offense, steals per game, total steals and turnover margin. ASU guard Chris Jones leads the nation with 42 steals and is fourth with 3.23 steals per game and 16th with 75 assists this season, while Demario Mayfield is one of only five players in the nation with a triple-double and Raijon Kelly is eighth in the country with a 3.53 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Angelo State moved up to No. 19 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national rankings on Tuesday, while the Texans progressed to No. 3 in the ranking after being fourth last week. ASU, which was No. 22 last week, is now the highest in the coaches' polls that the program has been since it was No. 17 in the Jan. 30, 1984 poll. The NABC ranking is the 12th time the Angelo State basketball team has been ranked in the coaches' poll. ASU is also ranked No. 15 in the D2SIDA Media Poll after being ranked No. 19 in the poll last week. The D2SIDA Media Poll is in its first year and is voted on by selected sports information directors from throughout the country.

The Rams are averaging 94.2 points per game and have scored over 100 points in four games this season. The team is off to its best start in program history through 13 games with their lone blemish coming in a 70-67 road-loss at Colorado Mesa. ASU has responded from the loss by winning its last seven games by a combined score of 686-448 (+34.0 scoring margin). ASU is 9-0 at home this season and 20-2 in the Junell Center over the past two years.

"We did some good things in our non-conference schedule," said ASU head coach Chris Beard, who is 31-10 in his two seasons leading the program. "We are playing very unselfish on offense and have shown the ability to have balanced scoring. We have shown the ability to be a good defensive team. We understand we will have to continue to improve as the season goes on in order to be competitive in the Lone Star Conference."

While the Rams are off to the best start in program history, the Texans are continuing and building on their perennial success. The two-time defending LSC tournament champions are one of only eight NCAA Division II teams still undefeated and are second in the nation by limiting opponents to 58.2 points per game. TSU, which has amassed a 40-3 record over the past two seasons after going 28-3 last year, is seventh in the country with a 20.1 scoring-margin advantage entering Wednesday's game at the Junell Center and is 10th in turnover margin (5.8) and 15th in total blocks (61).  The Texans have won the past three meetings against the Rams dating back to a 57-52 upset win by ASU on Dec. 5, 2012 in a game which snapped a four-game losing streak to TSU. Wednesday's game will be the 800th game in the career of Tarleton State head coach Lonn Reisman who is in his 27th season with the Texans.

"We have a lot of respect for the Tarleton State program," Beard said. "Their team success over a long period of time and Coach Reisman's record speaks for itself. We will have to play our best to compete with Tarleton.  It's a great game for our team. We are looking forward to the competition and the challenge of Wednesday's game.

"I have known Coach Reisman for many years. He is as good a coach as I know at any level. His teams always play with discipline and they always defend. In my opinion, Coach Reisman has been successful for many reasons, not just his coaching and his talented players.  He also works very hard at it. I remember when I coached at Texas Tech for Coach Knight, Lonn would come down and watch practice and take notes. It is common to see Lonn out on the recruiting trail and doing live scouting at games each season.  I have a lot of respect for Coach Reisman."

The Rams have earned their wins this season over Oklahoma Panhandle (97-60), Texas A&M International (86-51), McMurry (104-48/101-48), Arkansas Tech (88-79 OT), Oklahoma Wesleyan (97-63), Western State Colorado (89-73), Western New Mexico (85-52), Texas-Permian Basin (91-79), Arlington Baptist (99-67), Arkansas-Monticello (113-74) and York College (108-55). Team game-highs have come in points (113, UAM), field-goals made (44, York), 3-pointers made (10, UAM/UTPB), free throws made (21, UAM), rebounds (56, UAM), assists (35, Arlington Baptist), steals (16, Arlington Baptist), blocked shots (6, Arlington Baptist) and field-goal percentage (66.1, McMurry).

ASU will return to action at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14 against West Texas A&M in Canyon after playing the Texans and will host Eastern New Mexico at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 in its next home game. The Rams only venture outside of LSC play one more time this season when they'll host South Dakota School of Mines on Feb. 13 at the Junell Center.
 
RAM ROSTER REPORT
Mayfield leads the Rams with 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game along with recording six double-doubles and a triple-double this season. Mayfield has scored in double-figures in 11 of 13 games this season, including four games with 20 or more points. He scored a season-best 23 points against Colorado Mesa, Western State Colorado and Texas-Permian Basin and scored 22 points against Arkansas Tech. In his triple-double against Arlington Baptist he had a season-best 14 rebounds and 13 assists to go along with 14 points. Mayfield has earned one LSC Offensive Player of the Week honor this season and has started all 13 games. He is second on the second on the team with 60 assists and 23 steals and is shooting 51.5 percent from the field which ranks sixth in the conference. His scoring average ranks seven in the LSC entering conference action.

Jones was named the Lone Star Conference's Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after recording a season-best seven steals last Saturday against York College. Jones, who also had his first double-double of the season by scoring 16 points and dishing out 12 assists, leads the nation and conference this season with 42 steals and is 13th nationally with a 65.1 field-goal percentage (84 of 129). He has 15 steals in the past three games and has recorded three or more steals in 10 of 13 games this season. His 3.2 steals per game also ranks first in the conference and he is also the conference leader with 75 assists. Jones is averaging 14.8 points per game for the Rams this season and is also at 4.1 rebounds per game in his senior season. A guard from Dallas, Jones played his first three seasons at North Texas before transferring to Angelo State this season. He has scored in double-figures in 11 of 13 games and has three or more assists in every game this season. He matched former Rams Nate Gordon (2003) and Denell Stephens (2007) who also had seven-steal games during their careers at ASU for the single-game record in program history. He was also named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week on Dec. 8 to go along with his two LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Kelly is shooting 63.0 percent from the field this season (58 of 92) and is averaging 10.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. Kelly, who is a senior from St. Paul, Minnesota who played his first three seasons at Samford University, is third on the team with 53 assists and also has 12 steals. He has scored in double-figures in the past six games, including matching his season-high with 15 points last Saturday against York College. Kelly, who is the grandson of Arvesta Kelly who played in the ABA, also scored 15 points against UTPB and Arkansas Tech.

Marsell Holden leads the Rams and the conference with 39 3-pointers this season after making 16 in the past three games. Holden hit a season-best seven 3-pointers in a win against Arkansas-Monticello and then hit another four from beyond the arc against York College. Holden is shooting 44.8 percent on his 3-point attempts and is averaging 14.2 points per game in his senior season with the Rams. A transfer who played two seasons at San Jacinto College and another at Morehead State, Holden has made 22 of 26 shots from the free-throw line and has scored in double-figures in 11 of 13 games this season. He has started all 13 games and is averaging 20 points in the past three games. Along with Holden, fellow senior Tommy Woolridge provides a threat from outside with 47 3-pointers in his two years at ASU. Woolridge has made 10 3-pointers this season after leading the Rams with 37 3-pointers last season. He is currently averaging 4.5 points per game and is shooting 37.0 percent from beyond the arc.

The Rams continue getting strong play inside with a core group of juniors in Omari Gudul, Brentine Taylor and Bilal Richardson. Gudul, who is one of four returners for the Rams this season, has made 10 starts this season and is averaging 7.5 points per game. The tallest ASU player on the roster at 6-foot-10, Gudul leads ASU with 10 blocked shots and is second on the team with 5.0 rebounds after pulling down eight boards against York College. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in seven games this season and has scored in double-digits in three games, including a season-high 15 points against at McMurry. Richardson made his first start at ASU last Saturday against York College and scored a season-high 15 points and also grabbed six rebounds. A forward from Atlanta, Richardson is averaging 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Rams. He has scored in double-figures in the past four games, including recording his first double-double with a 10-point, 12-rebound performance against Arkansas-Monticello. Taylor is averaging 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He has scored in double-figures in three games this season, including a season-best 13 points at McMurry.

The junior class is also seeing DeQuavious Wagner and Thomas Brandsma contribute through 13 games. Brandsma, who is in his second season at ASU after transferring from McMurry with Beard, is averaging 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 points per game while Wagner is at 4.8 points per game and has added 26 assists and 14 steals. Wagner, who scored a season-high 10 points in a win over Western New Mexico, is in his first season at ASU after transferring from the University of Arkansas.
 
TARLETON STATE TEXAN REPORT
The Texans enter San Angelo and Lone Star Conference play with an unblemished 12-0 record and a 20.1 scoring margin advantage. TSU is the two-time defending LSC tournament champions and was selected as the LSC's preseason pick to win the conference championship this season. The Texans are averaging 78.3 points per game and have limited their opponents to 58.2 points per game and 39.1 percent shooting from the field this season. The team is coming off an 88-79 win over York College last Friday and a 74-51 win over South Dakota Mines last Tuesday in Stephenville.

Tarleton State is led by five players who are scoring in double-figures this season with Mo Lee leading the way with 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Lee is a senior guard from New York who has also supplied 34 assists and 16 steals for the Texans through the team's first 12 games of the season. Malcolm Hamilton, a transfer guard from Kansas City who played at Moberly Community College before Tarleton, is averaging 11 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and also has 11 steals. Michael Hardge leads the team with 43 assists and 21 steals and is also averaging 10.6 points per game. Hardge is in his third season with the Texans after playing at Georgetown High School.
Tashawn Mabry (10.4) and Davene Carter (10.3) join their teammates in double-figure scoring and are forces on the boards. Carter, a senior from Duncanville, leads TSU with 6.8 rebounds per game while Mabry is at 5.0 rebounds per game in his senior season. Carter leads Tarleton with 23 blocked shots this season and is shooting 68.0 percent from the field.  

Tarleton State will host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday in Stephenville after playing the Rams. The second meeting of the season between ASU and TSU will come on Wednesday, Feb. 11 in Stephenville.