SAN ANGELO - For the third time in four seasons, the Angelo State men's basketball team will compete in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic at the South Point Arena inside the South Point Casino. The Rams are 2-2 in Las Vegas under head coach Vinay Patel.

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams earned their first conference win on Monday, mounting a second-half comeback to defeat Texas A&M International, 78-77. Jaqai Murray scored a career-high 31 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the field and 9-for-13 shooting from the free-throw line. He also grabbed nine rebounds. The Rams shot 50 percent from the field in the victory. 

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 WEST LIBERTY
West Liberty, the 12th-ranked team in the country, is 7-1 this season and is 3-0 in Mountain East play. The Hilltoppers, who won the Atlantic regional last season, run a high-octane offense that averages 95.3 points per game, outscoring opponents by 20 points per game. WLU shoots 47.8 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from three. Jamie Muldowney, the only player to play in and start all eight games this season, leads the team with 15.4 points per game. The forward from Ireland leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game. The Hilltoppers' frenetic defense forces opponents into 22.5 turnovers per game. Myles Montgomery and Xavier Harris each average more than two steals per game. The Rams defeated West Liberty on December 18th, 2023, in the only prior matchup between these two teams. The Rams left Daytona Beach with a 101-98 victory over the Hilltoppers. 

SCOUTING HAWAI'I HILO
Hawai'i Hilo is 0-7 on the season and 0-3 in PacWest play. Five of their losses have been by single digits. The Vulcans score 67.3 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting from the field and 30.4 percent shooting from three. Three Vulcans average double digits in scoring, led by Julio Montes II's 13 points per game. Jamal Entezami (12.1 ppg) and Alex Horiuk (10.0 ppg) follow closely behind Montes II. Horiuk, a transfer from UTRGV, shoots 63.8 percent from the field and leads the team with 1.4 blocked shots per game. Brody Davis grabs a team-best 8.2 boards per game. This marks the first-ever matchup between the Rams and the Vulcans. 

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, two from Division II, and two from high school. 

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 37-4 inside the Junell Center/Stephens Arena, good enough for a .902 winning percentage. They have won their last ten 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 LSC PLAY
Under head coach Vinay Patel, the Rams have a 20-6 record in non-conference play and a 4-1 record in true non-conference road games. 

RAMS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
Under head coach Vinay Patel, the Rams have a 47-22 record in LSC play.

RAMS STATS
The Rams score 72.3 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting from the field and 30.2 percent shooting from three-point range. The Rams out-rebound their opponents by one board per game and hold opposing offenses to 66.1 points per game. Jaqai Murray leads the team with 16.1 points per contest on 56.4 percent shooting and grabs a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. Jesaiah McWright scores ten points per game. Jordan Crawford leads the team with 3.1 assists per game.