SAN ANGELO – The No. 7/9 Angelo State men's basketball team had six players drop in double-figures and it posted triple digits, 107-54, in its win over Dallas Christian in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center on Thursday evening.

The Rams remained undefeated and improved to 9-0, 1-0 LSC with Thursday's non-conference victory. Angelo State shot an improved 61.8 percent from short range and 53.3 percent from beyond the arc against the Crusaders. ASU also did an outstanding job distributing the rock as it tallied a season high 27 total team assists for the day. Three Rams, Michael Thomas (17), Chase Riley (16) and DeVonte' Pratt (14), all marked career highs in the points department.  The ASU defense held DCC to 33.8 percent shooting from inside the arc and 15.4 percent from deep. ASU maintained the lead throughout the game. With the loss, Dallas Christian falls to 20-0 on the season.

"The team played pretty well and we were impressed with the team's 27 assists," commented ASU Assistant Men's Basketball Coach David Lewis. "This was definitely a good start coming back from the Christmas break. We were happy that everyone was playing together tonight. We need to continue to improve and be better than the day before because conference road games always pose a challenge. "

Thomas and Riley led the Rams offensive attack against DCC. Thomas not only led the squad with 17 total points for the evening, he also pulled down a team most 10 total boards. This also earned the big man a career high in total rebounds and gave him his first double-double of the season. He was 7-10 from inside the arc and a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe. The junior added four assists and a steal to his numbers for the game.  Riley followed with 16 points and a career high five boards. The native of the state of Wyoming was 6-10 from short range and recorded a pair of assists.

Lorenzo Dillard, Shaquan Rhoades, Thomas Tshikaya and Pratt also made major contributions to the team offensive success. Dillard led the Rams with nine assists. The point guard also dropped in 16 points for his fifth double-digit game of the year. He was one of two players to head the defense by pocketing a career high four steals.  Rhodes sunk a season high 14 points. He accompanied this by adding four defensive rebounds and three assists to his numbers. Tshikaya, who hit 13 points, grabbed a team second eight boards for the night. Completing the group, Pratt, who the final player to hit double-figure points, also co-led the team with four steals.

Justin Hollins and Andre Nikita also posted solid numbers against the Crusaders. Hollins headed the defense with three total blocks for the game, which brings his total to 17 on the season. While, Nikita turned in a team second three steals.

Angelo State opened the first half taking an early 13-2 lead by the 15:54 mark. With 9:00 on the clock a Riley 3- Pointer gave the Rams a 21 point led with 31-10 on the board. At the 10:15 mark, Brandon Williams would set Angelo state off on another lengthy 17-3 run as he drew a foul and swished the free throw. ASU would close out the half on a 13-4 run, which was kicked off by a Riley 3-pointer and a Hollins jumper.

Tshikaya opened the second half with a jumper in the paint to increase the Rams led to 35. After several Crusader points, Riley would strike again with 16:59 on the clock as he knocked down his third 3 – pointer of the night to jump start 15-5 Rams run. This run also saw solid shots from Dillard, Williams, Tshikaya and Pratt. The two teams would exchange points, with DCC embarking on a 9-0 run at the 9:57 mark.  Until with 7:14 left in the game, Williams threw down a monster dunk that got the Rams back on track. Rhoades closed the game out with a final 3 –pointer to give ASU its largest lead over any team this season (53).

The Rams hit the road to Lawton, Oklahoma to continue its LSC slate with a match-up against Cameron on Saturday, December 31 at 4 p.m.  This game will be broadcasted live on 1260 KKSA with Jeremy Bryant on the call.