SAN ANGELO – In what was the first home game for the Angelo State men's basketball team in the 2022-23 season, Arlington Baptist played the role of guests in the Rams' housewarming party inside Stephens Arena at the Junell Center, and while the weather has been cold outside, the Rams heated up from the field in the second half as they eventually pulled away for a 99-67 victory.

The two teams stayed close most of the first half, with the Rams carrying a 46-36 lead into the break. However, the second half saw the Rams shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three to outscore the visitors 53-31 after the intermission.

For the game, the Rams scored 52 points in the paint and 33 on fast breaks; they also grabbed more offensive rebounds (22) than defensive rebounds (21).

"We got a long ways to go, but we were really happy with our effort tonight," said Head Coach Vinay Patel. "I thought our guys did a great job of diving on the floor and winning 50/50 balls to get us extra possessions. We saw a lot of growth in our guys in the 2nd half of the game."

The Rams' 99 points are the most they scored in a game since they scored 110 points against Dallas Christian on December 20^th last season. Additionally, every Ram who dressed out saw the floor tonight.

Defensively, the Rams forced the Patriots into 34 turnovers and scored 43 points off those turnovers.

Four Rams featured in double digits in scoring, led by Kevon Godwin and Reggie Quezada's 16 points apiece. The duo shot 13-for-28 from the field and 6-for-15 from three-point range. Quezada also led the team with seven assists and added three steals.

Tre Mitchell and Fredelin De La Cruz scored 15 points each; Mitchell shot 3-for-5 from deep and grabbed two steals, while De La Cruz recorded his second double-double of the season with ten rebounds. De La Cruz also led the team with four steals in the game.

"We are a work in progress right now and our guys are doing a great job of buying into to what we are trying to do," said Patel. "I thought we really improved from our last game to tonight in sharing the basketball and making plays for others. There is no doubt we are going to have to improve in a lot of different areas to be ready for the next time we hit the floor."

The Rams improve to 2-1 overall on the season; they are back in action next Saturday when they host Sul Ross at 6 p.m.