SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State men's basketball team will face the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in the first round of the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament on Saturday, March 12 at noon.
This trip to the NCAA South Central Regional tournament will mark the sixth overall and second consecutive for the Rams. ASU last advanced to the tournament in 2015 in which it made an appearance in the final round falling to Tarleton 66-64. This marked the furthest Angelo State has advanced in a regional tournament in program history. Angelo State is currently 1-0 all-time against the Lions, last facing them in a 2013 match-up that resulted in a 71-69 victory for the Rams. UAFS received its last defeat in its conference tournament title game to Dallas Baptist University, 74-66. The Lions are 23-8 on the season and 2-1 while playing at neutral sites.
The Rams offense has continuously averaged over 80 points per game this season and currently sits at 87.4 points per game average which places it within the top 15 nationally. This also averages the team a 10 point scoring margin over its opponents. With a .726 shooting percentage from the charity stripe, the Rams rank fifth in the national. As a team it is also shooting .461 from the field and .355 from the arc. On the defensive side of the ball ASU's 17.52 forced turn overs are ninth in the nation thanks to its 8.6 steals per game.
Tre Bennett has consistently led the squad scoring with an average of 16.9 points per game. The senior bucketed 14 points during ASU's LSC Championship Tournament finale, which marked his 20th consecutive game scoring double-digit points. The Houston native has scored at least 20 points in eight games this season. He was also selected to the LSC All-Tournament team as he averaged 17.7 points per game for the tournament with a .880 percentage from the foul line during tournament play. He is currently boasting a .449 shooting percentage from the field, a .372 percent from 3-point range and .865 percent from the foul line on the season. The point guard leads the team with 4.8 assists per game. Defensively, the senior has tallied a team leading 38 steals on the year.
Omari Gudul, who was also selected to the LSC all-tournament team, continues to be a solid contributor for the ASU defense and offense. In the LSC Tournament finale the big man dropped in 15 points and pulled down nine boards. In the regular season finale Gudul earned his sixth double-double of the year with a 27 point, 11 board performance. The 27 points during this game was the most points scored by a Rams since 2014. The senior leads the team with a team leading 7.6 boards per game and has recorded a team high 48 blocked shots this season which continues to average him 1.7 per game. The senior is averaging a team fourth 9.8 points per game.
Second on the squad averaging 15.5 points per game, Stedman Allen has recorded 24 games scoring double-figures as he scored 14 points in the conference tournament championship game. During the game he also grabbed 19 rebounds which placed him third on the all-time list for single game rebounds. This was also the most rebounds any Ram has pulled down in a single game since 1997. He is currently hitting .485 percent of his shots from the field and .714 from the stripe. Aiding the Rams defensive, he has recorded a team second a 5.7 rebounds per game and has pocketed 31 steals this season.
Quay King completes the team's top scorers as he has taken over the top spot on the team in 3-point scoring. He has sunk 67 total 3-pointers on the year and is currently averaging 10.3 points per game. The junior continues to average 2.4 threes per game. The guard out of Atlanta has recorded double-figure points in three consecutive games this season.
Thomas Tshikaya has been a steady contributor off of the bench for the Rams this season. The junior has averaged 5.2 rebounds per game and multiple boards in 27 games this season. The native of France has also has recorded a team second 28 blocked shots on the season. The French national has also pocketed 17 steals this season. He is averaging 6.5 points per game and has earned a pair of double-doubles this season.
Guards Prince Foster, Shaquan Rhoades and DeVonte' Pratt have all provided additional depth for Angelo State. A Miami, Florida native, Foster has recorded 38 steals on the year, which places him in a tie for first on the team list. He has also climbed to second on the squad with 31 blocked shots. Foster has also assists the offense recording 59 assist this season for a team second 2.0 assists per game. He averaged 12.6 points per game during the conference tournament and marked a 20 point performance in the initial round. He has now improved to an average of 8.0 points per game. Rhoades has tallied a team second 31 steals thus far, which averages him 1.1 steals per game. He has also recorded a total of 51 assists and averages 1.8 per game. Finally, Pratt is averaging 5.0 points per game and is currently hitting .455 of his shots from the field and .682 from the line.
All ASU Tournament games will be broadcasted on 101.9 FM KWFR with the voice of the Rams, Jeremy Bryant, on the call.
