SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State men's basketball team got back on the winning side of things on Monday afternoon, defeating St. Mary's 81-71 at the Stephens Arena in the Junell Center in a non-conference contest.
 
With the win, the Rams improve to 8-2 overall on the season while the Rattlers fall to 2-3.
 
Both teams went back and forth to start the contest as the Rams took their first lead just under five minutes in as Dante Moses scored five straight to give the Rams an 11-9 advantage.
 
Down 29-28, the Rams closed out the first half with a 14-4 run, picking up points from six different players during that span before heading into the halftime break with a 42-33 lead.
 
ASU's defense held the Rattlers to only 32 percent shooting from the field, including going 4-of-25 from three-point range. The Rams shot 47 percent on the day, knocking down nine threes while collecting 17 points off turnovers.
 
The scoring continued for the Rams in the second half, holding a double-digit lead for a majority of the period. ASU scored seven straight points, five coming from Miles Macadory, to take the largest lead of the game at 59-42.
 
Four players finished with 12 or more points in the game with Kelyn Pennie leading the Rams with 14 points, adding four rebounds and two assists. Following him, Tyrell Carroll and Paul Williams each had 13 points while Dante Moses finished with 12 points.
 
The Rattlers fought back into the game late, cutting the lead to only six points at 68-62 with 4:36 on the clock.
 
ASU's defense kept the lead in favor of the Rams, holding StMU to make only one of its last 10 field goal attempts while Williams knocked down four free throws in the end.
 
The Rams continue non-conference play at home as they take on Arlington Baptist on Saturday, Dec. 18.