SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team returns home for a non-conference game against Southern Arkansas inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena this Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams opened their Lone Star Conference schedule with a tight loss inside the Falcon Dome to UT Permian Basin last Saturday, dropping the contest 65-62. The Rams struggled from deep, only shooting 27.3 percent from beyond the arc. Sterling Gaston-Chapman led the Rams in scoring for the second successive game with 14 points. 

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 nine new players into the fold. The quartet averages 40.3 points of the team's 78.8 points through the season's first four games. 

PATEL IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
Vinay Patel is 11-4 in non-conference play at Angelo State and is 4-0 in non-conference play inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena. Patel, formerly the head coach of Northwestern Oklahoma State in the GAC, is 1-0 against GAC schools since joining ASU, with that win coming over Southern Arkansas last season. 

TEASETT TIME
After only scoring in double figures in six games last season, senior guard Carvell Teasett has started this season off emphatically, averaging 17.5 points per game. His 22 points against Arlington Baptist is his new personal best in the Blue and Gold. He is sixth in the league in scoring and second in field goal percentage (57.1 percent). He leads the league in three-pointers made (4.0 per game) and three-point percentage (64 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. 

MR. STEAL YOUR BALL
Kaden Evans has recorded four steals twice this season, doing so against New Mexico Highlands and UT Permian Basin. He is third in the LSC with 2.8 steals per game. 

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 scored seven points in his LSC debut at UT Permian Basin on Nov. 23. He has grabbed four rebounds twice.

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 (2-2) vs. Southern Arkansas (3-2)
Location: San Angelo, Texas
Venue: Junell Center - Stephens Arena
Tip: 3 p.m., Saturday, November 30th, 2024
TV: FloCollege | Radio: Foster Communications | Live Stats

Angelo State averages 78.8 points per game on 47.9 percent from the field and 41.5 percent shooting from three. The Rams are shooting 72.2 percent from the charity stripe. 

The Rams are fourth in the LSC in field goal percentage and second in three-point percentage. They are third in free throw percentage and third in three-pointers made per game, with 9.8 makes per contest.

The Rams average 34 rebounds per game, out-rebounding opponents by a half-rebound per contest.

Defensively, the Rams hold opponents to 67.5 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent from three-point range. 

Carvell Teasett leads the Rams in scoring with 17.5 points per game in only 22.5 minutes of action. He is shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 64 percent from three. 

Sterling Gaston-Chapman leads the Rams' effort on the boards with 5.8 per game.

DJ Freeman and Kaden Evans have each blocked a pair of shots this season, and Evans leads the team with 2.8 steals per game.

Kendrick Delahoussaye, who has started all four games this season, leads the team in minutes played (26.5 per contest). He is also shooting 92.3 percent from the free-throw line. Delahoussaye and Gaston-Chapman are tied for the team lead with 2.3 assists per game.  

SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
NABC RANK: N/A
2024-25 RECORD: 3-2

• Southern Arkansas is 3-2 on the season, with a schedule that includes a tight loss to defending national champions Minnesota State—Mankato and a home win over Rogers State. 
• They score 86.2 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting from the field and 34.2 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 70.2 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting and only 26.7 percent from three. The Muleriders out-rebound their opponents by 0.6 rebounds per contest.
• Three Muleriders average double figures in scoring, led by Anthony Igiede's 14 points per game. Rashad Bishop scores 12.4 points per game and BJ Davis adds in an even ten points per contest. 
• Christian Caldwell leads the rebounding effort with 7.2 per game.  
• Igiede also leads the team in assists, blocks, and steals. 
• The Rams are 2-0 all-time versus the Muleriders. Last season, the two teams played in Magnolia, Arkansas, with the Rams prevailing 64-63 on a Willie Guy buzzer-beater. The game saw the Rams overcome a 19-point deficit early in the second half to leave the W.T. Watson Center with a win.