SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team compete in their final non-conference games of the regular season this weekend when they make the trip east to Florida to partake in the Daytona Beach Shootout, where they will take on Rollins on Sunday and No. 6 West Liberty on Monday. 

LAST WEEK IN RAMS BASKETBALL
The Rams bumped up their winning streak to seven games with a 74-65 victory over UT Permian Basin on Tuesday afternoon inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena. The Rams shot 50.9 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three. The Rams used a 17-0 run to close the first half to put the game out of reach. Kevon Godwin led all players with 22 points while Keyshawn Embery-Simpson had 18 and Trey Farrer recorded his second double-double for ASU with 12 points and ten rebounds. 

RANKED OPPONENTS
Monday's matchup against West Liberty will be the second time this season the Rams have faced ranked opposition. The Rams defeated No. 15 Fort Lewis 77-69 to open the season back on November 10th. 

Game 1
No. 20 Angelo State vs. Rollins
Sunday, December 17th - 2 p.m. CT
Ocean Center

The Tars are 3-5 on the season and 0-3 in Sunshine State Conference, with their last loss coming in overtime against Lynn on December 9th. 

Rollins averages 77.1 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 30.4 percent from three. The offense is led by 7-foot Brazilian big man Matheus Silveira, who scores 18.1 points per game on 61.2 percent shooting. Silveira also leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. 

The Tars' defense hold opponents to 76.3 points per game; opponents shoot 44.8 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three against the Tars. They force opponents into 14.4 turnovers per game, with the duo of Kyle Marion and Cade Long each averaging two steals per game. 

LAST TIME VS. RC
The Rams are 3-0 all-time against the Tars, with the two teams last matching up on December 18th, 2018. On that day, the Rams came away with a 89-79 victory. These two teams also played in 2015 and 2016, with the Rams winning the first matchup 87-76 and the second one 85-80. 

Game 2
No. 20 Angelo State vs. No. 6 West Liberty
Monday, December 18th - 12 p.m. CT
Ocean Center

The Hilltoppers are 8-1 this season with a 4-1 record in Mountain East play. Last season, they went 33-4 on the season and made it to the NCAA Tournament Championship, where they lost to national champions Nova Southeastern 111-101.

West Liberty's offense ranks third in Division II with 102 points per game. They have scored more than 100 points in six of their nine games this season. They shoot 47.9 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three. Their offense features nine guys who average at least eight points per game and five guys who average double-digit scoring

The Hilltoppers hold opponents to 76.1 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting and 28.3 percent shooting from three. They force opponents into committing 25.1 turnovers per game, and their plus-13.7 turnover margin is the best in the country. 

LAST TIME VS. WL
This marks the first-ever matchup between the Rams and West Liberty. Additionally, this marks the first time the Rams have faced a team from the Mountain East Conference. The Hilltoppers are the highest-ranked team the Rams have played since they faced No. 3 West Texas A&M on February 8th, 2020. 

RAMS ADD EIGHT
Angelo State brought in eight newcomers in 2023-24, including three from the Division I level and three from Division II. 

    Everson Armstrong
    Freshman * 6-5 * Guard
    Wall, Texas * Wall HS
2x District MVP; averaged 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the Hawks; All-West Texas MVP

    Kendrick Delahoussaye
    Junior * 6-0 * Guard
    Lafayette, La. * Bossier Parrish CC
Averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season; shot 84.1 percent from the free-throw line.

    DJ Basey
    Senior * 6-10 * Forward
    Mesquite, Texas * Coastal Carolina
Shot 68.1 percent from the field for the Chanticleers. 
    
    Keyshawn Embery-Simpson
    Graduate Student * 6-3 * Guard
    Midwest City, Okla. * Tulsa
Averaged 5.0 points per game across four seasons at Arkansas and Tulsa; four-star recruit out of IMG Academy.

    Trey Farrer
    Graduate Student * 6-9 * Forward
    St. George, Utah * Westminster (UT)
2022-23 All-RMAC First Team; averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game; recorded eight double-doubles for the Griffons. 

    DJ Freeman
    Junior * 6-6 * Forward
    Midwest City, Okla.
    Oklahoma Baptist
2022-23 All-GAC Honorable Mention; averaged 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season. 

    Shemar Smith
    Junior * 6-7 * Forward
    Norman, Okla. * East Central
All-GAC Honorable Mention in 2021-22; averaged 13.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Tigers. 

    Carvell Teasett
    Junior * 6-1 * Guard
    Baton Rouge, La. * Appalachian State
Shot 33 percent from three-point range for the Mountaineers; played first two seasons at Northwestern State in Louisiana, where he averaged 10.5 points per game. 

PERSONAL BESTS THIS SEASON

•     Ten Rams have recorded at least one personal best this season.
•     Guard Everson Armstrong recorded his first collegiate points on Nov. 25 against Arlington Baptist, sinking a pair of free throws; he also recorded his first-career assist against the Patriots. 
•     Forward DJ Basey tied his career-high of three blocks in a game against Fort Lewis on Nov. 10 and tied his career-high of eight rebounds against Oklahoma Christian on Dec. 9; he attempted a career-high ten field goals against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 25.
•     Forward Chris Boekhorst recorded his first-career assist against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 25; he made two shots against the Patriots, tying a career-high.
•     Guard Kendrick Delahoussaye scored 14 points in his home debut against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 25; he made four free throws in his debut against Southern Arkansas on Nov. 21 and grabbed three rebounds against Texas A&M International on Dec. 2.
•     Guard Keyshawn Embery-Simpson scored a career-high 30 points in his ASU debut against Fort Lewis on Nov. 10. He went 12-21 from the field and 6-12 from three. 
•     Forward DJ Freeman tied his personal best with 11 rebounds against UAFS on Dec. 7. 
•     Guard Kevon Godwin tied his career high with six assists twice this season. He also tied his career watermark with eight free throws made against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Nov. 30.
•     Guard Willie Guy scored a career-high 20 points in the Rams' win over Oklahoma Christian on Dec. 9; he tied his career-high with eight assists versus Arlington Baptist on Nov. 25; he made a career-high five threes versus the Patriots. 
•     Guard Jacob Richardson scored his first bucket against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 25; he also recorded his first career rebound, assist and block.  
•     Guard Carvell Teasett grabbed a new personal best of five rebounds in the Rams' overtime win against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Nov. 30.