SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team closes out the regular season on Thursday against UT Permian Basin inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena in a game that carries LSC Tournament and NCAA Tournament implications for both teams. 

Thursday's game will be a white-out for the Rams. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams went 2-0 last weekend to open their final home stand, defeating No. 5 DBU 68-61 and UT Tyler 76-62. The Rams' win on Thursday saw them hold DBU to season lows in points (61), field goal percentage (34.8 percent), and three-point percentage (16 percent). The senior quartet of Carvell Teasett, Kendrick Delahoussaye, Sterling Gaston-Chapman, and Kaden Evans averaged double-digit scoring for the week. 

FREEMAN NAMED LSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rams forward DJ Freeman was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for averaging 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks last week. He scored nine points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked three shots in the win over DBU before closing his weekend with eight points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks against UT Tyler. Freeman is the first Ram to earn an LSC weekly honor this season. 

TEASETT PASSES 1K POINTS
Senior Carvell Teasett passed the 1,000-career points threshold on Thursday against DBU, scoring 14 points. Teasett is scoring 10 points per game in only 20.8 minutes, mainly off the bench this season. Teasett is a career 38.6 percent shooter and a 36.7 percent shooter from three. He is the second Ram to reach the 1,000-career point mark this season, joining Kaden Evans, who did so against Lubbock Christian on January 18th. 

PATEL IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Vinay Patel is 45-20 in LSC play at Angelo State and 26-4 at home in LSC play. Patel is 4-1 against UT Permian Basin and 2-0 in San Angelo. 

RAMS' DEFENSE
The Rams possess one of the most formidable defenses in the conference and Division II. Opponents score only 66.6 points per game against the Rams, the third-best mark in the LSC and 24th in the nation. They hold opponents to 30.1 percent shooting from three-point range, second-best in the LSC and 15th in the country. The Rams are 14-4 this season when they hold opponents to under 70 points and 6-0 when they hold the opposition to under 60 points.

RAMS ADD SEVEN
Angelo State recruited seven newcomers in 2024-25, including three from Division I and one 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
    
    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

    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 16 points and grabbed four steals against Sul Ross on January 30th. He grabbed ten rebounds against Lubbock Christian on January 18 and blocked three shots against West Texas A&M on February 8th. 
• Kollin Allbright scored the first points of his collegiate career in the Rams' win over UT Tyler on February 22, scoring three points. 
• 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. He made eight free throws in ten attempts against Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 11.
• Kendrick Delahoussaye scored a career-high 27 points in the Rams' win over West Texas A&M on February 8th, making all 13 of his attempts from the free-throw line. He assisted a career-high eight times against St. Mary's on January 23rd.
• DJ Freeman grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds as a part of a 12-point double-double against Midwestern State on February 15. 
• Sterling Gaston-Chapman set a new career high in rebounds (12) in the Rams' win over Arlington Baptist on November 19 as he recorded his first double-double. He scored a career-high 22 points against Sul Ross on January 5. He assisted nine times, falling just shy of a triple-double, on senior day against UT Tyler on February 22. 

HOME COOKIN'
The Rams have made the Junell Center-Stephens Arena a fortress under head coach Vinay Patel, accumulating a 33-4 record in Patel's three seasons in San Angelo, good enough for a .892 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. 

ABOUT THE RAMS

• Angelo State averages 68.6 points per game on 44 percent from the field and 34.4 percent shooting from three. The Rams are shooting 71.1 percent from the charity stripe. 
• The Rams average 34.6 rebounds per game, out-rebounding opponents by 0.9 per contest.
• Defensively, the Rams hold opponents to 66.6 points per game on 41.3 percent field-goal shooting and 30.1 percent from three-point range. 
• The Rams' defense is third in the LSC in points allowed, with 66.6 points per game. 
• Sterling Gaston-Chapman leads the Rams in scoring with 12.5 points per game and 5.3 rebounds. He has three double-doubles this season and came one assist shy of a triple-double on Saturday against UT Tyler. 
• Kendrick Delahoussaye leads the team with 2.4 assists per game. 
• DJ Freeman's 17 blocks are the most on the team. 
• Kaden Evans leads the team with 2.1 steals per game, which ranks tied for second in the LSC. 

UT Permian Basin
NABC RANK: N/A
2024-25 RECORD: 16-11, 12-9 LSC

Watch LIVE on FloCollege | Live Stats | Listen Live

• The Falcons are 16-11 on the season and 12-9 in LSC play; they are 6-6 on the road this season, having lost their last five road contest dating back to January 23rd. 
• The Falcons score 75.7 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 33.2 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 73.2 points per game on 45.2 percent shooting and 36.4 percent from three—the Falcons out-rebounded their opponents by 1.7 boards per game. 
• Five Falcons average double figures in scoring, led by Alex Matthews' 17 points per game. Matthews also leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game. 
• Freddie Word leads the Falcons with 3.8 assists per game.
• Maison Adeleye and Dario Dominguez lead the team with 1.4 steals per game.
• Chuks Ejiofor leads the way with 0.8 blocks per game off the bench. 
• The Rams are 18-12 versus the Falcons. Earlier this season, the Falcons claimed a 65-62 win over the Rams in Odessa to open LSC play. 

LSC Tournament Field

• DBU, Lubbock Christian, Midwestern State, St. Mary's, and Eastern New Mexico have already clinched their spots in next week's Lone Star Conference Tournament in Frisco. 
• St. Edward's, West Texas A&M, Angelo State, and UT Permian Basin are all fighting over three remaining spots in the postseason. 
• DBU would clinch the top seed with a win and LCU dropping one of their final two games against Midwestern State this week. LCU would be the top seed in the tournament if they go 2-0 this week. 
• Midwestern State needs to equal or better St. Mary's record this week to clinch the three seed, while the Rattlers need to better the Mustangs' record. The Mustangs have an outside chance for the second seed, while the Rattlers will be the third or the fourth seed. 
• ENMU is the fifth seed with a win, or St. Edward's dropping one of two games this week. The Hilltoppers need one win this week to clinch their spot. 
• The Rams, Buffs, Falcons, and Hilltoppers are all in contention for the final three seeds. The Rams clinch a spot in the tournament with a win or an Eastern New Mexico win in Canyon on Thursday against WT.