STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Angelo State men's basketball team earned its first win of the 2017-18 season on Friday afternoon as it downed the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 86-74.
The Rams hit 46.4 percent from inside the arch and had five players rack-up double-digit points for the night as the team secured its first win of the season. ASU outscored the Mountain Lions in the paint 48-26, and 22-8 on fast break points. Ja'Michael Brown (20) and James Kirksey (19) led the way for the offense, while Daron Mims (12), Brandon Williams (12) and Will Adler (10) completed the group. On the defensive side of the ball Angelo State pocketed an outstanding seven steals and pulled down 33 defensive boards. Brown, who not only lead the team from short range going 8-12, grabbed a team most nine total boards. He was followed by Kirksey and Williams who each finished with eight.
"It is always good to start the season off with a quality win against a quality opponent," commented ASU Head Men's Basketball Coach Cinco Boone. "We played good basketball in spurts today and hope to continue to improve and play a consistent game from start to finish. Having five guys in double-figures is an outstanding statistic to have. We really thought [James] Kirksey played a great game and his stat line across the board was impressive. We are happy to be 1-0 and are looking forward to another good opportunity tomorrow."
The Rams opened the game hot as it embarked on a 12-2 run right out of the gate that ran through the 17:28 mark. Williams got the run started as he pulled down an offensive rebound and rolled in a layup shot. The senior then recorded his first of a team leading three steal on the night. The run would also see Brown stroke the first 3-ball of the game. Kirksey would close out the run with a dunk and picked up the plus one off of a foul in the process.
UCCU would climb back into the game and closed the gap to 17-14 with 14:28 on the clock. However, Antonio Singleton would check in with a jumper to halt the Mountain Lions advance. At 10:14, Kirksey, kicked of another 15-5 run with a layup that would stretch the Rams lead to 14 (38-24) with 5:37 left in the half. After sinking a deep ball at the 4:08 mark, Ran Tut closed out the ASU scoring for the half with a free throw.
Entering the second half, a Mims fast break layup pushed the Rams lead to 17 points, with 54-37 on the board and 16:41 on the clock. Angelo State would continue to hold off the Mountain Lions and build upon its lead. After a missed ASU 3-pointer, Tut would pick up the offensive board and a Kirksey layup would ensue to give the Ram a 75-57 lead. The 18 points would be the largest lead for ASU on the night. Freshman Michael Kirkland would close out the scoring for the squad as he nailed a final shot from the charity stripe.
Angelo State returns to Wisdom Gym on the campus of Tarleton State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 11. The Rams will take on its second RMAC opponent, Metro State. The Roadrunners will be coming off a match up with Tarleton State on Friday evening.
