SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team looks to bounce back from its first setback of the season on Monday evening when it travels south to face Texas A&M International in a non-conference matchup in Laredo. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams' offense struggled to get anything going last night against Sul Ross State, only shooting 30.2 percent from the field and 15 percent from three. Quadir Pettaway led the Rams with 12 points as the Lobos claimed a 60-47 win over the Rams.

KIRBY NAMED LSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior forward Ja'Queze Kirby was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week following a pair of standout performances in his first two games inside the Junell Center/Stephens Arena. Kirby, a product of Hazlehurst, Georgia, averaged ten rebounds, three steals, and two blocks as the Rams opened their home schedule with wins over Western Colorado and Adams State. In 23 minutes against Western Colorado, Kirby scored eight points while grabbing seven rebounds, blocking a pair of shots, and nabbing three steals. Against Adams State, the Coaching, Sport, Recreation, and Fitness Administration student fell one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine points and securing a season-high 13 rebounds. He also blocked two shots and grabbed three steals against the Grizzlies. 

RAMS SWEEP LSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS TO OPEN SEASON
Rams forwards Jaqai Murray and Zyon Little swept the Lone Star Conference player of the week awards on Tuesday for their performances at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic at the Trailhead to start off the 2025-26 season. Murray led the Rams in scoring with 14.7 points per game. He shot 60 percent from the field and averaged 6.7 rebounds per game. He ended the weekend with 20 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win over No. 10 Colorado School of Mines. Little led the Rams' rebounding effort, averaging seven rebounds per game. The Dickinson native also nearly recorded two double-doubles with 11 points and eight rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney and ten points and eight rebounds against No. 10 Colorado School of Mines. 

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M INT'L
Texas A&M International is 1-2 this season, opening the season with a win over MSU Denver before dropping contests against Black Hills State and St. Edward's; Monday's matchup will be their first home game of the season. Last season, seven of the Dustdevils' 13 wins came on their home court. The Dustdevils score 74.7 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from three. Opponents out-rebound TAMIU by 8.7 boards per game. Gaius M'Ella leads the team with 18.3 points per game on 51.2 shooting and paces the Dustdevils with eight rebounds per game. The Gabonese forward is coming off an 18-point, 12-rebound performance. Opponents score 89.3 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting from the field. Spivey Ward leads the team with four steals, and M'Ella has rejected a team-high four shots. 

NEW TEAM, WHO DIS?
The Rams will have a new look in the 2025-26 season as they return only two players - Chace Fields and Darius Brady - from last year's team. The Rams' coaching staff brought in 13 new players, five of whom come from the Division I ranks. Four of the newcomers join ASU from a JUCO, while two are from Division II, and two are high school products. 

RAMS RANKED SIXTH IN LSC PRESEASON POLL
The Rams were picked sixth in the LSC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches, sports information directors, and media members. Defending regional champions DBU were picked to repeat as LSC Champions, followed by St. Mary's, Lubbock Christian, St. Edward's, and West Texas A&M. 

HOME COURT DOMINANCE
Under head coach Vinay Patel, the Rams are 36-4 inside the Junell Center/Stephens Arena, good enough for a .900 winning percentage. They have won their last nine games on their home court, including a win over No. 5 DBU last spring. The Rams won their first 21 games on their home court under Patel's guidance, including a 13-0 mark in 2022-23, Patel's first season in charge. 

RAMS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
Under head coach Vinay Patel, the Rams have a 17-6 record in non-conference play and a 3-1 record in true non-conference road games. 

RAMS STATS
The Rams have players ranked in the top ten in the country in numerous categories. Jordan Crawford is eighth in the country in assists, while Jhordan Ryan is third in Division II with eight blocks. Jaqai Murray is fourth in the nation with 33 field goals made and ranks fourth with 38 free-throw attempts, while ranking seventh in points scored. Jesaiah McWright leads Division II with 31 made free throws and is third nationally with 39 free throw attempts. Zyon Little is sixth with 37 steals, and Kailon Nicholls is fourth in Division II with 12 steals. 

In the LSC, Jhordan Ryan leads the conference in blocks while Jesaiah McWright and Jaqai Murray rank 1-2 in free throws attempted and free throws made. Zyon Little leads the LSC in rebounding, while Kailon Nicholls leads the conference in steals.