SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State men's basketball team routed the UT Tyler Patriots on senior night, 88-64 in a wire-to-wire victory at the Junell Center early Saturday evening.
 
The Rams improve to 19-8 on the season and 9-6 in Lone Star Conference play as the Patriots fall to 16-9 and 7-8 in the LSC.
 
An efficient shooting performance propelled the Rams throughout, making 50 percent from the field, 36 percent from deep, and 74 percent from the free throw line.  The Rams dominated the glass, out rebounding the Patriots by 10, 41-31.
 
Dante Moses got things started for ASU, scoring eight of the first ten points for the Rams as they took an early 12-4 lead. Early contributions by seniors Paul Williams and Tyrell Carroll drove the Rams ahead by 13 just five minutes into the first half.
 
Salisu Yahaya, another senior celebrated on the evening, made a layup to surge the home squad ahead by 16, 34-18, their largest lead of the first frame.  The teams would trade buckets down the stretch and the Rams would take a 47-34 lead into the break.
 
Williams led all scorers on the evening as he ended with 21 points, followed closely behind by Moses who had 20 to go along with six boards. Carroll shot 7-of-10, ending with 14 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.
 
On the evening, the Rams limited UTT to 42 percent from the field and 30 percent from downtown. The Rams had 21 assists on the evening, the second most in a single game this season. The Rams also scored 18 points off the 14 turnovers they forced.
 
Four points from Carroll capped off a quick start to the second half as the Rams scored 14 of the first 20 points. Moses made a layup to pull the Rams ahead by 21 with 9:33 remaining.
 
Senior Andi Vrapcani knocked down two free throws late in the half, meaning all four of the Ram seniors scored on the evening. Yahaya ended the contest with eight points to go along with five rebounds.
 
An Andre Nunley layup capped off a 9-0 run for the Rams which would extend their lead to its largest at 25 with just 1:54 to go. A late free throw by Kendrick Washington would cap off the scoring in the game, as the home team captured a 24-point victory.
 
The Rams finish seventh in the LSC standings and look towards the postseason. It currently looks like the Rams will host UT Permian Basin on Tuesday, Mar. 1 at the Junell Center, with a time TBD.