SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team stays on the road for the holiday weekend as they travel to Canyon for the West Texas A&M Thanksgiving Classic. The Rams will face Fort Lewis and Justice University in their two games. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams' offense bounced back from their first loss of the season, shooting 51.8 percent from the field as they defeated Texas A&M International 70-54 in Laredo. Jaqai Murray scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Ja'Queze Kirby scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds while recording a pair of blocks and steals. 

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 FORT LEWIS
Fort Lewis is 2-2 on the season, with wins over Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico; their losses have come against Western New Mexico and Lubbock Christian on their home court. The Skyhawks score 80.8 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Choul Deng leads the team with 16.8 points and nine rebounds per game. The South Sudanese forward recorded an 18-point, 10-rebound against Western New Mexico. 

SCOUTING JUSTICE
Justice University, an NCCAA school, is 2-2 on the season. The Lions score 93.3 points per game, the fourth-best offense in NCCAA, while only allowing 64.8 points per game, the third-best defense in the league. 

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 18-6 record in non-conference play and a 4-1 record in true non-conference road games. 

RAMS STATS
The Rams have players ranked in the top twenty in numerous statistical categories. Jaqai Murray is 14th in the country in field goals made, and Jesaiah McWright is 15th in free throws. McWright's 32 free throws made on 41 attempts leads the LSC. Ja'Queze Kirby is 11th in Division II with 15 steals this season, and as a team, the Rams' possess the nation's 17th-best scoring defense, only allowing 59.5 points per game.