SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team opens their postseason schedule this week at the Lone Star Conference Tournament in Frisco, where they will take on top-seed and LSC Regular Season Champions DBU on Friday evening at 6 p.m. 

This marks the 12th straight season the Rams have qualified for the LSC Tournament, the second-longest streak in this year's field behind West Texas A&M's 16. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams defeated UT Permian Basin 74-67 on Thursday to close out the regular season, clinching their spot in the LSC Tournament and keeping their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The Rams, who trailed by 12 points at halftime, outscored the Falcons 53-34 in the second half to secure the win. Carvell Teasett and Shemar Smith scored 20 points each, with Teasett's 20 points coming after the halftime break. 

RAMS RANKED REGIONALLY
In the first edition of the South Central regional rankings, the Angelo State men's basketball team is ranked ninth, just on the cusp of an NCAA Tournament berth. Colorado School of Mines and DBU are the top two teams, followed by Lubbock Christian, Midwestern State, St. Mary's, MSU Denver, Eastern New Mexico, and Regis. West Texas A&M joins the Rams in the top ten. 

PATEL IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Vinay Patel is 46-20 in LSC play at Angelo State, good enough for a .697 winning percentage. Patel is 2-2 in his previous two trips to the LSC Tournament, reaching the finals in 2023. Patel's first tournament win in 2023 was a 64-43 win over DBU. Patel is 3-4 in seven postseason games at Angelo State.

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 21st in the nation. They hold opponents to 30.5 percent shooting from three-point range, second-best in the LSC and 21st in the country. The Rams are 15-4 this season when they hold opponents to under 70 points and 6-0 when they hold the opposition to under 60 points.

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 34-4 record in Patel's three seasons in San Angelo, good enough for a .895 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 68.8 points per game on 44.1 percent from the field and 34.6 percent shooting from three. The Rams are shooting 71 percent from the charity stripe. 
• The Rams average 34.3 rebounds per game, out-rebounding opponents by 0.8 per contest.
• Defensively, the Rams hold opponents to 66.6 points per game on 41.6 percent field-goal shooting and 30.5 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 5.4 rebounds. He has three double-doubles this season.
• Carvell Teasett and Shemar Smith are each averaging 10.4 points per game. 
• 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, the second-best in the LSC.
• The matchup between the Rams and the Patriots is the only intra-divisional matchup in the quarterfinals. 

DBU
NABC RANK: 7
2024-25 RECORD: 27-4, 19-3 LSC

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• The Patriots, ranked tenth in the country, went 27-4 on the season and 19-3 in LSC play as they claimed the LSC Regular Season Championship. The Patriots are 3-1 in neutral-court games this season.
• The Patriots score 86.1 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and 34.5 percent from three. 
• Defensively, opponents score 72.7 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting and 34.4 percent from three—the Patriots out-rebound their opponents by 2.1 boards per game. 
• Three Patriots average double figures in scoring, led by Ricky Lujan's 17.8 points per game. 
• Cameron Kahn scores 14.3 points per game, and Trevor Frank adds 10.3 per contest, primarily off the bench. 
• Xavion Brown leads the team with 3.8 assists, 1.2 blocks per game, and 1.9 steals. 
• The Rams are 3-5 all-time versus DBU. On February 20th, they upset fifth-ranked DBU 68-61 inside the Junell Center—Stephens Arena, snapping the Patriots' 11-game winning streak. The Rams are 1-0 all-time against the Patriots in Frisco.

LSC Tournament Field

• The other quarterfinal matchups feature two-seed Lubbock Christian facing seven-seed Eastern New Mexico, three-seed Midwestern State taking on six-seed West Texas A&M, and St. Mary's versus St. Edward's in a four-five matchup. 
• The winner of DBU and Angelo State's game will face the winner of St. Mary's and St. Edward's in the LSC Semifinals on March 8th.
• The championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 9th. 
• The Rams have the second-most LSC Tournament Final appearances (10), behind West Texas A&M's 17, and the third-most LSC Tournament titles, behind WT's 12 and Midwestern State's seven. 
• DBU has not won an LSC Tournament game since 2021 and has never claimed a tournament win inside the Comerica Center.
• Angelo State is 27-34 all-time in the LSC Tournament, while the Patriots are 2-5 in the conference tournament.