FORT SMITH, Ark. – The Angelo State men's basketball team gutted out a 70-66 win over UAFS this evening at the Gayle Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center.
 
This win improves the Rams overall record to 17-8 and their Lone Star Conference record to 7-6. UAFS falls to 12-11 on the year and 6-5 in LSC play.
 
The Rams shot 51 percent from the field in the game, including a 13-of-26, 50 percent shooting night from three-point range. Devaughn Thomas led the Rams going 7-of-10 from the field, finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds.
 
Both sides would grab 32 boards in the contest, with UAFS having the advantage on the offensive glass, pulling down 10 rebounds to the Rams five. The Lions were limited to 45 percent from the field and only 29 percent from downtown.
 
The Lions got out of the gates faster than the Rams and found themselves ahead by four, 12-8, with 15:03 to go in the first half. A layup and a dunk from Lathaniel Bastian would bring the Rams ahead, 15-13, at the 10:47 mark.
 
A Paul Williams three-pointer would cap off a 16-3 run for the Rams as they surged ahead 34-21 with 2:38 to go in the first frame. The Lions would answer with three buckets before Thomas drained a three to give the Rams a 10-point halftime lead, 37-27.
 
Williams would finish with 11 points on the evening. Bastian has 16 points and Kelyn Pennie added 15 points off the bench as both flirted with double-doubles, pulling down eight rebounds apiece. Tyrell Carroll was all over the stat sheet in his 38 minutes with nine points, seven assists, and five boards.
 
A Carroll layup with 17:03 to go would restore the Rams lead to its largest at 13 points. The Lions chipped away at the lead over the next seven minutes, before retaking the lead, 55-53, with 9:55 remaining.
 
An 8-0 run coming off two threes from Pennie and a Bastian layup would bring the Rams back ahead by six, 63-57, with 7:58 to go. The Lions would not back down, whittling the lead to just one with 3:33 in the contest. Layups by Thomas and Bastian and a final free throw from Carroll would round out the scoring for ASU.
 
The Rams travel to Oklahoma City, Okla. for a matchup with Oklahoma Christian, Saturday, Feb. 19^th at 4 p.m. in their final road contest of the 2021-22 campaign.