SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State men's basketball team looks to rebound with a duo of home LSC matchups against Midwestern State and Cameron this week.
The Rams will get things started with Midwestern State on Thursday night as it hosts Military appreciation night. ASU will honor past and present military members with free admission to the game, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. The Rams will then continue its conference slate on Saturday at with a match up against Cameron at 4 p.m. Fans will be able to gain free admission to the game with the donation of an article of clothing that will go towards Hurricane Harvey relief. Saturday's game has also been selected as the also Angelo State Faculty and Staff Appreciation game with all faculty and staff and their immediate family receiving free admission. The ASU Greek organizations will also be recognized during this game.
Scoring a conference second average of 84.8 points per game, the Rams offense is outscoring opponents by a margin of 12.5 this season. The Rams head the LSC with a 49.7 percent accuracy from inside the arch and a 5.50 turnover margin on defense. The Rams are coming off a loss in its LSC opener against Texas A&M – Kingsville and will be seeking to get back on track in the conference rankings.
Midwestern State will enter the Stephens Arena at the Junell center with a 2-7, 0-2 LSC record on the season. The Mustangs are currently riding a four game losing streak with its last two losses coming at the hands of Texas A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State. ASU downed MSU in both of its meetings last season.
Cameron is currently 4-4 on the season and is 1-1 in the conference. The Aggies will be looking to build upon its one point victory over Tarleton State (64-63). The Aggies split the regular season series with Angelo State during the 2016-17 season as it defeated the Rams at home in the final matchup (81-77).
Pont guard Ja'Michael Brown will direct the Rams offense this week as he leads the squad with 4.1 assists per game. The junior also heads the offensive production with 16.1 points per game, hitting 51.6 percent from short range. He is the only Ram this season to turn in a 30 point game and has marked double-digit points in five games this season with four of those resulting in over 20 points.
Heading the defense efforts for Angelo State will be James Kirksey and Brandon Williams. Kirksey head the squad in both Rebounds per game (5.9) and steals (13) on the season. He has amassed 32 defensive boards and 15 on the offensive side of the court. Kirksey is also second on the Rams with 33 total assists per game. Williams, who had totaled a team most 15 blocks thus far, is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game and 10 pocketed steals on the year. Both Player have made contributions to the offensive production as well with Kirksey averaging 12.4 points per game and Williams following closely behind with 11.3.
Also contributing to the Rams success has been Daron Mims, Will Adler, Antonio Singleton and Ran Tut. With four double-figure point games to his name, Mims is averaging a team fourth 10.8 points per game. He has also added seven steals and a 3.3 boards per game average to his name this season. Adler has been a master from beyond the arch as he leads the Rams with 18 three-balls on the season. He is the last of the team to be sinking an average of 10.5 points per game. Singleton is second on the 3-pointer list having stroked 10 thus far. He has the best average from deep as well as the charity stripe as he is hitting 58.8 percent from downtown and 90.9 percent of his free throws. Finally, Tut has blocked a team second five shots and is third on the team with 4.1 rebounds per contest.
The games will be carried on RamTV Suddenlink Channel 6 and can be heard on 1260AM KKSA with Jeremy Bryant on the call.
