SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball opens conference play on the road this weekend with rivals UT Permian Basin on Saturday afternoon in Odessa, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams opened their home schedule with an emphatic 101-58 win over Arlington Baptist on Tuesday evening inside the Junell Center—Stephens Arena. Five Rams scored in double figures. 

RAMS RETURN FOUR
The Rams return four members from last year's team - DJ Freeman, Carvell Teasett, Kendrick Delahoussaye, and Shemar Smith - as they work ten new players into the fold. The quartet averages 42.7 points of the team's 84.3 points through the season's first three games. 

PATEL IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Vinay Patel is 33-11 in LSC play as head coach at Angelo State. He is 13-9 on the road in conference play and has won both matchups against UT Permian Basin inside the Falcon Dome. 

TEASETT TIME
After only scoring in double figures in six games last season, senior guard Carvell Teasett has started this season off emphatically after averaging 20.7 points per game in the opening weekend. His 22 points against Arlington Baptist is his new personal best in the Blue and Gold. He is third in the league in scoring and second in field goal percentage (64.3 percent). He leads the league in three-pointers made (4.7 per game) and three-point percentage (70 percent). 

GASTON-CHAPMAN DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior guard Sterling Gaston-Chapman recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 20 points and 12 rebounds against Arlington Baptist. He shot 7-for-17 from the field and 3-for-5 from deep. He also assisted three times and nabbed two steals. Gaston-Chapman has also taken care of the ball, only committing three turnovers in 74 minutes of game action this season. 

RAMS FROM DEEP
The Rams lead the LSC with a 45.8 percent shooting mark from three; they also have one of the stingiest defenses from beyond the arc, holding the opposition to just 25.4 percent shooting from deep, the third-best mark in the league. The Rams pace the league with 11 makes from downtown this season.

RAMS ADD NINE
Angelo State recruited nine newcomers in 2024-25, including three from Division I and two from Division II. 

    Denim Dawson
    Junior * 6-6 * Guard
    San Bernardino, Calif. * Tennessee State
Averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game at Orange Lutheran HS; Trinity League MVP

    Sterling Gaston-Chapman
    Senior * 6-4 * Guard
    Wichita, Kan. * UT Arlington
Three-star recruit out of Campus HS in Wichita; two-time all-metro and two-time all-state selection

    Jalen Gilmore
    Junior * 6-3 * Guard
    Jacksonville, Fla. * Lynn
Averaged 9.5 points and 5.2 assists per game in 2023-24 for Lynn
    
    Blessing Adesipe
    Junior * 6-6 * Guard
    Houston, Texas * UT San Antonio
NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention at Miles College; scored 1,132 points in two seasons

    Darius Brady
    Freshman * 6-0 * Guard
    Houston, Texas * Kingwood HS
2023-24 Second Team All-District selection for Kingwood HS 

    Chace Fields
    Sophomore * 6-6 * Forward
    San Angelo, Texas * Adrian College
Averaged 3.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game for Adrian College

    Kollin Allbright
    Freshman * 6-9 * Forward
    San Angelo, Texas * Central HS
Averaged 14 points per game in prep career; two-time first team all-district honoree

    Damonze Woods
    Junior * 6-7 * Forward
    Amarillo, Texas * Odessa College
Averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds; District 5A All-State selection as a junior at Amarillo HS

    Kaden Evans
    Graduate Student * 6-4 * Guard
    Kansas City, Mo. * Emporia State
Led Division II in steals as a freshman in 2020-21 with 3.1 per game; 4x All-Conference selection at Oak Park HS

PERSONAL BESTS THIS SEASON
Six Rams have recorded a personal best this season.

•     Blessing Adesipe scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds in the Rams' win over No. 22 Fort Lewis on November 9. He also had two assists and three steals in his home debut versus Arlington Baptist on November 19.
•     Kollin Allbright grabbed his first career rebound in his collegiate debut versus Arlington Baptist on Nov. 19.
•     Darius Brady assisted for the first time in his career versus Arlington Baptist on Nov. 19.
•     Chace Fields grabbed his first rebound of the season on Nov. 19 against Arlington Baptist.
•     Sterling Gaston-Chapman set new career highs in points (20) and rebounds (12) in the Rams' win over Arlington Baptist on Nov. 19 for his first career double-double. He hit those marks on seven made field goals and three made three-pointers. 
•     Damonze Woods grabbed four rebounds and had two assists in his Angelo State debut against New Mexico Highlands on November 8. He blocked his first shot against Arlington Baptist on November 19.

HOME COOKIN'
The Rams have made the Junell Center-Stephens Arena a fortress under head coach Vinay Patel, accumulating a 24-2 record in Patel's two seasons in San Angelo, good enough for a .923 winning percentage. His first season featured the Rams going 13-0 on their home court; the second season they've been undefeated on their home court across a season. The Rams went 17-0 inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena in 2014-15. 

RAMS FOURTH IN LSC PRESEASON POLL
The Rams were picked to finish fourth in the LSC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors. The Rams were picked behind West Texas A&M, DBU, and Lubbock Christian. 

GAME INFORMATION
Angelo State (2-1, 0-0) vs. UT Permian Basin (2-1, 0-0)
Location: Odessa, Texas
Venue: Falcon Dome
Tip: 3 p.m., Saturday, November 23rd, 2024
TV: FloCollege | Radio: Foster Communications | Live Stats

Angelo State averages 84.3 points per game on 49.7 percent from the field and 45.8 percent shooting from three. The Rams are shooting 72.4 percent from the charity stripe. 

The Rams are third in the LSC in field goal percentage and lead the LSC in three-point percentage. They are second in free throw percentage and first in three-pointers made per game, with 11 makes per contest.

The Rams average 36.3 rebounds per game, out-rebounding opponents by 4.3 boards per contest.

Defensively, the Rams hold opponents to 68.3 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting from the field and 25.4 percent from three-point range. 

Carvell Teasett leads the Rams in scoring with 20.7 points per game in only 22.3 minutes of action. He is shooting 64.3 percent from the field and 70 percent from three. 

On the heels of his first double-double, Sterling Gaston-Chapman leads the Rams' effort on the boards with 6.3 per game and leads the team with a pair of blocked shots. 

DJ Freeman leads the team with a pair of blocked shots, and Kaden Evans leads the squad with seven steals this season. 

Kendrick Delahoussaye, who has started all three games this season, leads the team in minutes played (25 per contest) and assists (2.7 per game). He is also shooting 88.9 percent from the field. 

UT PERMIAN BASIN
NABC RANK: N/A
2024-25 RECORD: 2-1, 0-0

• UT Permian Basin is 2-1 on the season. Like the Rams, they opened their home schedule on Tuesday, eking out a three-point win against Southwest (N.M.). They opened their season with a win over Westminster before falling to Adams State in Alamosa. 
• They score 81.3 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and only 27.5 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 81.3 points per game on 50 percent shooting and 43.2 percent from three. The Falcons get out-rebounded by one board per contest. 
• Four Falcons average double figures in scoring, led by Alex Matthews' 19.3 per game. He has shot 34 of the Falcons' 70 attempts from the free throw line this season.
• Matthews also leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. 
• The Rams are 18-11 versus the Falcons; Vinay Patel is 4-0 against UTPB since he joined Angelo State. Last season, the Rams defeated the Falcons 68-67 in the Falcon Dome on the final day of the regular season to eliminate the Falcons from LSC Tournament contention.