SAN ANGELO, Texas – In a quick turnaround for the Angelo State men's basketball team, the Rams return to Lone Star Conference play this week as they face No. 5 West Texas A&M in a two games series.
The Rams will be on the road for game one as they travel to Canyon, Texas on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip-off while game two will be at the Junell Center on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
LAST WEEK:
In their only game of the week, the Rams pulled off an upset of the 17th-ranked St. Edward's Hilltoppers as
Kevon Godwin scored a driving layup with 1.5 seconds remaining and converted an and-one opportunity to lead ASU to a 68-65 victory.
Paul Williams led ASU with 19 points while
Devaughn Thomas added 10 points. The Rams snapped a two-game losing streak against SEU in the process.
ANGELO STATE (5-6, 4-6 LSC) VS. #5 WEST TEXAS A&M (5-1, 3-1 LSC)
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ALL-TIME SERIES: West Texas A&M leads 49-24, Last Meeting: WTAMU, 87-77
The Buffs hold the all-time series lead against the Rams and have won the last 10 meetings against Angelo State. In their last contest, West Texas A&M held on to win 87-77 in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. The Rams last defeated the Buffs during the 2015-16 campaign, winning 85-75 at home.
SCOUTING WEST TEXAS A&M:
The Buffs enter the weekend with a 5-1 overall record but have had difficulty keeping games on the schedule with their last six games being postponed. WT last played on Jan. 16, completing a two-game sweep over UT Permian Basin. The only loss on the season came against Dallas Baptist who was ranked 21 at the time in the NABC Top 25, falling in game two of the series 87-78.
Offense has been the strong point for the Buffs who lead the conference in points per game, scoring 92 points. WT has two players in the top three in scoring in the LSC in Joel Murray and Qua Grant who are scoring 21.8 and 21 points respectively. Grant, who was selected as the LSC Preseason Player of the Year, also ranks third in the league in rebounds, collecting 8.8 boards a game. Leading the backcourt for WT, Joel Murray ranks fourth in the LSC in assists per game with 5.5 while also ranking first in steals with 2.7.
Defensively, West Texas A&M has given up the seventh-most points per game allowing 78.2 while allowing opponents the highest shooting percentage at .497. The Buffs are one of the top rebounding teams in the Lone Star, averaging 38 rebounds, outrebounding opponents by 3.5 rebounds.
The Buffs have defended home court well, holding a 37-1 record in Canyon over the last three seasons, only losing to DBU earlier this year.
#RAMEM
The Rams hold a 5-6 overall record after collecting the non-conference win over St. Edward's, winning their last two contest, including a 67-60 win over St. Mary's on the road. ASU will prepare to play its fourth ranked opponent of the season, having already faced DBU, Lubbock Christian, and SEU. The Rams also split a series against Texas A&M-Kingsville, who is currently ranked 22nd in the Top 25.
Williams leads the Rams in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game. He has scored double-digit points in nine games this season, including seven straight contests. He has also tallied a team-high 39 assists and 10 steals.
Sam Baker is second on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game followed by Thomas with nine points while also leading in rebounds with 5.1 boards.
ASU ranks sixth in the Lone Star defensively, holding opponents to a scoring average of 75.2 points per game. The Rams are also seventh in the league in free-throw percentage while getting to the line the second most with 255 attempts.
