WICHITA FALLS, Texas – The Angelo State men's basketball team will take to the court on Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m. to face Tarleton State in the South Central Regional Tournament final for the second consecutive year.
The Rams will enter the regional finale with a 25-6 overall record and a 2-1 record against Tarleton State this season. Angelo State holds the all-time series lead over Tarleton State, 38-34, and made its last appearance in the South Central Regional final in 2015 where they fell to the Texans, 66-64. This was the only time in program history that the two teams have met in the NCAA tournament.
The ASU offensive attack is averaging 87.5 points per game which has allowed the Rams scoring offense to remain within the top 15 nation for the majority of the season. This also averages the team a 10.2 point scoring margin over its competition. As a team, Angelo State is hitting .730 percent from the foul line. Its 643 made free throws rank the team fifth in the national. It is also shooting .464 from the field and .359 from beyond the 3-point line. Defensively, ASU's 17.40 forced turnovers are 10th in the nation. This is thanks in part to the teams 8.7 steals per game.
Tre Bennett, who has made appearances in all 31 games for the Rams, leads the team in several statistical categories. The Houston native has currently scored team high 522 total points this season, which translates to a stellar 16.8 points per game. He is currently hitting .452 percent of his shots from the field, .378 percent from beyond the arc and .871 from the charity stripe. Directing the offensive attack he has distributed the ball 153 times this season which averages him 4.9 assist per game. On the defensive side of the ball, Bennett leads the Rams with a total of 42 steals on the season. He has also pulled down an average of 2.8 boards per game. In his last game, he marked his 21st straight double-figure game with a 12 point performance. He also recorded a team leading six assists against Fort Lewis.
Omari Gudul continues to make solid contributions to both the team's defense and offense. In the NCAA Regional quarterfinal the senior recorded his seventh double-double of the season and dropped in 13 points and grabbed 10 total boards. The senior continues to lead the Rams grabbing 7.6 boards per game. He has recorded a team high 53 blocked shots this season. The native of the Democratic Republic of Congo is averaging a team fourth 9.8 points per game.
Second on Angelo State averaging 15.9 points per game, Stedman Allen knocked down 17 points in the regional semifinal. He is currently hitting .493 percent of his shots from the field and .714 from the line. Defensively, he has recorded a team second 5.6 rebounds per game and has recorded 34 steals this season.
Quay King marked a season high 25 points in the team's last game against Fort Lewis. He sunk 7-of-9 threes and 9-of-11 from the field during the game. The junior has improved his three point average to 2.5 threes per game. The guard out of Atlanta is currently riding a five game double-digit point streak.
Thomas Tshikaya has been a solid contributor off of the bench for the Rams. The junior has averaged a team third 5.1 rebounds per game. The French national is also third on the team with 30 blocked shots on the season. Tshikaya has also pocketed 20 steals this season. He is averaging 6.6 points per game and has earned a pair of double-doubles this season.
Prince Foster and Shaquan Rhoades have provided solid additional depth for the Rams. A native on Miami, Florida, Foster has recorded a team second 40 steals on the year. He is second on the squad with 31 blocked shots. Foster has also recorded 65 assist this season for a team second 2.1 assists per game. He dropped in 13 points in the team's last game has now improved to an average of 8.1 points per game. Rhoades has recorded a team fourth 32 steals thus far. He has also recorded a total of 56 assists which averages 1.9 per game.
Tuesday's regional final will be broadcasted on 101.9 FM KWFR with the voice of the Rams, Jeremy Bryant, on the call.
