AUSTIN – The Angelo State men's basketball team suffered a crushing loss to end their season Friday as they lost to St. Edward's 82-81 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA DII South Central Regional.
The Rams were led by Ronald Bell, who poured in 28 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 11-23 from the field and making five of six free throws. Six of his rebounds came on the offensive end as he dominated the last ten minutes of the game overall. He was joined in double figures by Kiair Crouch, Collin Turner, and Paul Williams. Crouch had 15 points in his final collegiate game, making 6-10 shots from the field and 3-7 three pointers. Turner had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He also led the team with five assists and recorded a block and a steal, the only Ram to do so. Williams shot 4-8 from the field and made 2-5 three pointers on the evening. Marcel Pettway also had an impactful outing with seven points and eight rebounds, adding in two steals for good measure.
The game was a back and forth affair that saw several exciting moments, big runs, and one of the stranger endings ever seen in a college basketball game. The Rams got out to a quick 10-3 lead and held the lead for basically the entire first half, going into halftime with a five point lead thanks to a three pointer by Ronald Bell and a free throw by Collin Turner. After halftime, the Hilltoppers went on a run and extended their lead to eight points with 11 minutes left in the contest. At that point, Ronald Bell and Marcel Pettway both scored twice in the paint to close the gap to six points before Kiair Crouch hit a three to pull the Rams within three points. Ronald Bell continued to attack the basket, converting an and-one opportunity to tie the game with just under six minutes to play. Later, after Daron Mims converted an and-one opportunity, the Rams led by two with less than three minutes on the clock. The Hilltoppers' Ashton Spears, the Heartland Conference Player of the Year, then hit two three pointers to grab a four point lead for St. Edward's. After some more dominance by Bell, he sat at the free throw line with the Rams down two, converting both to tie the game at 80. St. Edward's then got the ball to point guard August Haas, who converted a layup to give the Hilltoppers the lead with less than a second on the clock. In a fit of excitement, a Hilltoppers assistant coach ran onto the floor before the clock expired, leading to a technical foul. However, this technical foul was a one shot foul, which Collin Turner converted. The Rams were unable to get a final shot off and fell by a single point.
This ends what had been an excellent season for the Rams, who won 20 or more games for the first time since 2015-16, advanced past the first round of the Lone Star Conference tournament, and earned a number seven seed in the regional.
