SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State men's basketball team hits the road to go south as they face tough opposition in St. Edward's and St. Mary's. 

Thursday's game against the Hilltoppers will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the state capitol before Saturday's matchup against the Rattlers tips off at 3 p.m. in San Antonio. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Rams extended their winning streak to three games last week, claiming a pair of wins at home over RV Western New Mexico and Sul Ross State. Three Rams - Zyon Little, Jabbari Barry, and Jhordan Ryan - scored 14 points each in the win over the Mustangs, while the Rams' defense held WNMU to a season-low 52 points on 30 percent shooting from the field. In the win over the Lobos, Ryan recorded a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Little scored 17 points as the Rams avenged their loss to SRSU earlier this season.  

SCOUTING St. EDWARD'S
St. Edward's, the 15th-ranked team in the country, is 21-4 on the season and 10-4 in LSC play; they are 9-3 at home this season. Three of the four losses the Hilltoppers have suffered this season have come against ranked opposition. 

SEU scores 80.5 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 34.2 percent shooting from three. Three Hilltoppers score in double figures, led by Blake Nielsen's 18.6 points per game. The Aussie guard has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and has recorded a pair of double-doubles. Ryder Bradley and Jamison Kay each score 12.8 points per game; Kay leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game, and Bradley assists 4.1 times per game. 

Defensively, opponents score 67.8 points per game against the Hilltoppers on 39.4 percent shooting from the field and 29.7 percent from three. The Hilltoppers force teams into 13.8 turnovers per game and out-rebound their opposition by 0.3 boards per contest. 

The Rams are 14-7 all-time against the Hilltoppers and 2-2 in their last four meetings in Austin. Last season, the Hilltoppers claimed a 72-57 win over the Rams on their home court. 

SCOUTING ST. MARY'S
St. Mary's is 15-7 on the season and 8-6 in conference play. They are 11-2 on the season and are coming off a week in which they played three games in five days, going 1-2 with two-point losses to Texas A&M-Kingsville and St. Edward's. 

St. Mary's scores 72.7 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 33.9 percent from three. They are led in scoring by all-region player Damani Claxton, who is averaging 14.6 points per game. Claxton also leads the team with three assists per game. 

Opponents score 65.3 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting from the field and 31.3 percent from deep. They force 13.7 turnovers per game and out-rebound opponents by six rebounds per contest; Olaverr Camacho leads the rebounding effort with 7.1 rebounds per game. 

The Rams are 21-23 all-time against the Rattlers. Last season, the Rattlers handed the Rams a 68-60 defeat. 

AIR JHORDAN
Jhordan Ryan has been a force down low for the Rams since being inserted into the starting lineup. In his eight games as a starter, Ryan has recorded six double-doubles, doing so last time out in the Rams' win over Sul Ross State. The Montserratian has averaged 35.5 minutes per game and played the full 40 minutes twice. He is averaging 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the past eight games, which was highlighted by an 18-point, 19-rebound effort against UT Dallas, and a career-high 20 points in the Rams' win over Sul Ross State. Ryan was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week on February 9th, his first award for the Blue and Gold.  

LITTLE NAMED LSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK TO OPEN SEASON
Rams forward Zyon Little was named the Lone Star Conference defensive player of the week for his performances at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic at the Trailhead to start off the 2025-26 season. 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. 

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 12 new players, four 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 41-7 inside the Junell Center/Stephens Arena, good enough for an .854 winning percentage. 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 52-28 record in LSC play.