SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team kicks off their final road trip of the regular season this weekend as they start off their four-game endeavor with matchups this weekend against Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M. The Rams and the Greyhounds face off at 8 p.m. central time on Thursday in Portales before the Rams and Buffs close out the weekend on Saturday at 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams won both of their games at home this past weekend. They defeated Sul Ross 85-73 and closed the weekend with a 79-73 win over Western New Mexico. 

EVANS PASSES 1K POINTS
Graduate student guard Kaden Evans passed the 1,000-point milestone for his career in the Rams' win over Lubbock Christian on January 18th. The Kansas City native is a career 39.5 percent shooter from the field and 35.8 percent from three. Evans is just as impactful on defense, with three games this season where he has grabbed four steals. His 227 career steals are second among all active Division II players and 17th among all players in all three NCAA divisions. 

PATEL IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Vinay Patel is 42-17 in LSC play at Angelo State and 18-13 on the road in LSC play. Patel is 3-11 against West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico at Angelo State, with all three wins coming in San Angelo. 

RAMS' DEFENSE
The Rams possess one of the most formidable defenses in the conference and Division II. Opponents score only 66.4 points per game against the Rams, the second-best mark in the LSC and 23rd in the nation. Their opponent's field goal percentage of 41.3 is 28th in the country. The Rams are 11-3 this season when they hold opponents to under 70 points and 5-0 when they hold the opposition to under 60 points. 

THE 300 CLUB
Saturday's win against Western New Mexico was the 300th game inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena for the Rams, and it was the 300th in Vinay Patel's career. The Rams are 212-88 on their home court (.707), and Patel is 179-121 in his career (.597). 

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 16 points and grabbed four steals against Sul Ross on January 30th. He grabbed ten rebounds against Lubbock Christian on January 18. 
    • 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. He made eight free throws in ten attempts against Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 11.
    • Kendrick Delahoussaye has scored a career-high 17 points twice, most recently against Western New Mexico on February 1st. He assisted a career-high eight times against St. Mary's on January 23rd. 
    • Sterling Gaston-Chapman set a new career high in rebounds (12) in the Rams' win over Arlington Baptist on Nov. 19 as he recorded his first career double-double. He scored a career-high 22 points against Sul Ross on January 5. He assisted five times against Texas A&M-Kingsville on December 5. 
    • Damonze Woods scored 17 points against Cameron on December 16. He grabbed 12 rebounds against Montana State-Billings on Dec. 19.

HOME COOKIN'
The Rams have made the Junell Center-Stephens Arena a fortress under head coach Vinay Patel, accumulating a 31-4 record in Patel's three seasons in San Angelo, good enough for a .886 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. 

NEED TO KNOW

• Angelo State averages 69.8 points per game on 45 percent from the field and 35 percent shooting from three. The Rams are shooting 70.4 percent from the charity stripe. 
• The Rams are sixth in the LSC in three-point percentage, shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc. They are eighth in three-pointers made per game, with 7.3 makes per contest.
• The Rams average 34.3 rebounds per game, out-rebounding opponents by 1.3 per contest.
• Defensively, the Rams hold opponents to 66.4 points per game on 41.3 percent field-goal shooting and 30.6 percent from three-point range. 
• Sterling Gaston-Chapman leads the Rams in scoring with 13.0 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. The senior also leads the team with 2.2 assists per game. 
• DJ Freeman's 11 blocks is the most on the team. 
• Kaden Evans leads the team with 1.9 steals per game.

EASTERN NEW MEXICO
NABC RANK: N/A
2024-25 RECORD: 13-8, 8-7 LSC

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• The Greyhounds are 13-8 on the season and 8-7 in LSC play. They are 8-3 on their home court this season. 
• They score 89.1 points per game on 51.3 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 74.3 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting and 34.6 percent from three—the Greyhounds out-rebound opponents by 9.5 boards per contest.
• Six Greyhounds average double figures in scoring, led by Mario Whitley's 14.8 points per game. Whitley also leads the rebounding effort with 9.4 boards per game. 
• Mo Austin leads the Greyhounds with 2.8 assists per game.
• Cooper Jackson leads the team with 3.5 steals per game, and Jose Murillo paces the defense at the rim with 1.4 blocks per game. 
• The all-time series is tied at 43-43 between the Rams and the Greyhounds. Earlier this season, the Greyhounds won 80-70 in San Angelo behind Whitley's 18 points and Murillo's 17 points and 10 rebounds.

WEST TEXAS A&M
NABC RANK: N/A
2024-25 RECORD: 13-8, 8-7 LSC

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• The Buffs are 13-8 on the season and 8-7 in LSC play; they are 8-2 on their home court this season. 
• They score 78.1 points per game on 42.4 percent shooting from the field and 32.5 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 70.4 points per game on 43 percent shooting and 32.1 percent from three.
• The Buffs out-rebound the opposition by 0.8 boards per contest. 
• Two Buffs score double digits per game, led by Ahamed Mohammed's 17.5 points. Mohammed dishes out 2.7 assists per game. 
• Jailyn Sledge leads the team with 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Sledge also blocks a team-high one shot per game. 
• The Rams are 23-60 all-time against the Buffs. Earlier this season, the Buffs claimed an 81-61 win over ASU in San Angelo, with Noah Pagotto scoring 26 points and Mohammed adding 22 points.