SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team plays its final non-conference games of the regular season this week when it travels to Las Vegas to participate in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. The Rams will face stiff competition in Montana State-Billings and No. 10 Colorado School of Mines as their opponents enter the classic with a combined record of 17-4. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams dropped their game on Saturday against Oklahoma Christian, 61-58, before ending their Sooner State trip with a win over Cameron on Monday. It is the third time the Rams have responded to a loss this season with a win in their next contest. Damonze Woods scored a career-high 18 points in the Rams' victory over the Aggies while also grabbing seven rebounds. 

EVANS CLOSES IN ON 1K POINTS
Graduate student guard Kaden Evans enters the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic with 953 career points, only 47 off from reaching the 1,000-point milestone. The Kansas City native is a career 39.9 percent shooter from the field and 36.5 percent shooter from three. Evans is just as impactful on defense, with three games this season where he has grabbed four steals. His 203 career steals are third among all active Division II players and 20th among all players in all three NCAA divisions. 

PATEL IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
Vinay Patel is 12-4 in non-conference play at Angelo State; at this event two seasons ago, the Rams split their two games, dropping to Le Moyne before defeating MSU Billings. 

RAMS' DEFENSE
The Rams possess one of the most formidable defenses in not only the conference but also Division II. Opponents score only 63.7 points per game against the Rams, which ranks second in the LSC and 15th in the nation. Their opponent's field goal percentage of 39.4 is 22nd in the country, and their opponent's shooting mark of 29.3 percent from three is 28th in Division II. 

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
Seven 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. He blocked a shot         against Oklahoma Christian on December 14.
    • 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.
    • Denim Dawson scored 13 points in the Rams' win over Texas A&M International on Dec. 7. He has also recorded three assists twice and blocked a pair of shots against Southern Arkansas on November 30. 
    • Kendrick Delahoussaye scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds in the Rams' win over Southern Arkansas on Nov. 30.
    • 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 had five assists in the Rams' win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Dec. 5.
    • Damonze Woods scored 17 points against Cameron on December 16. He has grabbed eight rebounds twice. He recorded three steals against Cameron and two blocks against Southern Arkansas on November 30. 

HOME COOKIN'
The Rams have made the Junell Center-Stephens Arena a fortress under head coach Vinay Patel, accumulating a 27-2 record in Patel's two seasons in San Angelo, good enough for a .931 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. 

NEED TO KNOW

• Angelo State averages 72.2 points per game on 46.2 percent from the field and 37.9 percent shooting from three. The Rams are shooting 67.9 percent from the charity stripe. 
• The Rams are fifth in the LSC in field goal percentage and fourth in three-point percentage. They are fifth in three-pointers made per game, with 8.2 makes per contest.
• The Rams average 34.7 rebounds per game, out-rebounding opponents by two per contest.
• Defensively, the Rams hold opponents to 63.7 points per game on 39.4 percent shooting from the field and 29.3 percent from three-point range. 
• Sterling Gaston-Chapman leads the Rams in scoring with 12.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. 
• Jalen Gilmore leads the team with 2.1 assists per game.
• Denim Dawson leads the team in blocked shots, while Kaden Evans leads the team with 1.8 steals per game. 

MONTANA STATE-BILLINGS
NABC RANK: N/A
2024-25 RECORD: 9-3

TV: FloCollege | Live Stats

• The Yellowjackets are 9-3 on the season, and their losses have come against Rogers State, Rocky Mountain College, and No. 13 Minot State. 
• They score 75.3 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.3 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 72.3 points per game on 43.2 percent shooting and only 33.3 percent from three. The Yellowjackets get out-rebounded by 5.1 boards per game.
• Four Yellowjackets average double figures in scoring, led by Jalen Tot's 17.6 points per game. Tot also leads the team in steals and assists. 
• Kael Robinson leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.   
• David Jones and Robinson lead the team with 1.2 blocked shots per game. 
• The Rams are 1-0 all-time against the Yellowjackets, with that game taking place two years ago in Las Vegas. The Rams left Vegas with a 59-55 win over the Yellowjackets on December 18th, 2022. 

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
NABC RANK: 10
2024-25 RECORD: 8-1

TV: FloCollege | Live Stats

• The Orediggers, the tenth-ranked team in the country, are 8-1 on the season. They lost on opening day to Lubbock Christian but bounced back to win their next eight games.  
• They score 85.3 points per game on 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 38.4 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 70.1 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting and 34.2 percent from three—the Orediggers out-rebound opponents by 5.1 boards per contest. 
• Graduate student Majok Deng leads Mines with 16.9 points per game. The Arizona native has scored 20 or more points in three of his last five games. 
• Alex Romack leads the rebounding effort with 5.3 per game.  
• Cade Mankle leads the team with 3.5 assists per game.
• Markus Pastorcic-Straun averages a team-high 1.5 steals per game, while Jonathan Moore leads the team with 11 blocks.
• This marks the first-ever matchup between the Rams and the Orediggers.