SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State men's basketball team remained perfect inside the Junell Center this season as they opened their Lone Star Conference schedule with an 86-74 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Thursday night.

"THANK YOU to everyone that came to the game tonight!" said Rams Head Coach Vinay Patel. "We had an awesome crowd, and I'm proud of our guys for rising to the challenge and coming away with a victory to start LSC play."

The Rams controlled the scoreboard for most of the night, as they held the lead for 38 minutes and 19 seconds against the Javelinas. The Rams continued their streak of out-rebounding their opposition in every game this season, grabbing 38 boards to the visitors' 35.

Kevon Godwin led the Rams offensively with 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting. The Florida native converted five of seven attempts from three-point range and went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. Godwin also grabbed six rebounds and forced three steals. Godwin's 31 points are a career-high and the most for a Ram this season; it is also the highest point total for an LSC player in conference play after the first round of games.

As a team, the Rams shot 51.9 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three; defensively, they were able to hold the Javelinas to a 37.9 shooting percentage and 20 percent from deep.

"I thought we did an excellent job defensively in stretches," said Patel. "Kingsville is an aggressive team and very hard to keep out of the paint, and I was proud of our guys for sticking to the game plan and not panicking as they chipped away at the lead."

Devaughn Thomas scored a season-high 13 points off the bench, while teammates Fredelin De La Cruz and Willie Guy scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. De La Cruz also nabbed 13 rebounds for his third double-double while contributing three blocks defensively.

The Rams improve to 4-1 overall on the season and 1-0 in conference play. They wrap up their maiden homestand of the season on Saturday against Texas A&M International; the Dustdevils are coming off an LSC-opening 72-68 loss to UT Permian Basin in Odessa.

"We have a quick turnaround and have a very talented and well-coached team in Texas A&M International coming in Saturday," said Patel. "Our guys will have to focus on a short prep and get ready to compete at a high level."