SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team began the 2016-17 with a win Saturday night, defeating Huston-Tillotson 76-48 in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
"I thought our guys came out of the gates and played really hard," ASU head men's basketball coach Cinco Boone said. "When we got a lead, I thought our energy kind of tapered off and I didn't feel like we really finished the right way. I'd like to see us play more like how we did to start the game."
The Rams (1-0) out-rebounded Huston-Tillotson by three in the matchup and forced 22 turnovers to help stifle their offense. ASU was able to score 22 points off those turnovers and score 27 points on the fast break altogether on the night, helping them to the 76 total points the team scored.
Quay King led the team in scoring on the night with 17 points on 10-20 shooting. Nine of the senior's points came from behind the arc, as he hit three three-pointers in the contest. Foster came in second, pouring in 15 points 6-10 shooting and adding in 10 rebounds and four assists for the senior's first double-double of the season. Two other Rams scored in the double digits against Huston-Tillotson including Lorenzo Dillard with 13 and DeVonte' Pratt with 11.
Dillard and Pratt both added in three steals apiece on the defensive side of the ball, but the Rams were led on defense by forward Justin Hollins. The Houston native tied the Angelo State record for most blocks in a single game with eight in just his first competition with the Rams. Hollins added in a steal and three rebounds in his 21 minutes on the floor as well.
"He's the first guy I've ever coach who's just had that knack for shot-blocking," Boone said. "Sometimes we think, 'man, he's out of position,' but then he just swoops in to kind of save the day, so it's nice to have a guy like him down low."
The Rams started off the game with the first seven pints, getting a layup and a three-pointer from Dillard and a fastbreak layup from King before Huston-Tillotson finally got on the board. The two teams traded baskets for a couple of minutes before Angelo State used another 13-2 run to extend their lead to 16 with 11:10 left in the half.
The scoring slowed down near the end of the first half, highlighted by a three-point play from Dillard and a pair of jumpers from Foster, and the Rams went into the locker room with their 16-point lead intact.
Foster had the hot hand to start play after the break, scoring the first seven points of the second half and pushing the ASU lead to 23. The Rams continued to push offensively, using a 10 five run to grow the lead to 25 less than ten minutes into the half.
After trading buckets for another few minutes, ASU went on another run, this one of the 12-2 variety, to open their largest lead of the night at 34 with 7:04 remaining. Five of the 12 points on the run came from forward Michael Thomas, who finished the night with six points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes played.
Huston-Tillotson used an eight-point run to cut into the lead with 3:46 left in the game, but it was too late and ASU finished off the win, 76-48.
The Rams will continue the Ed Messbarger Classic a matchup against Howard Payne. The Yellow Jackets took on Eastern New Mexico in the first game of the classic and upset the Greyhounds on a jumper with .9 seconds left in the game. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
