ASU Ram Basketball Falls to No. 1 Ranked LCU

The Angelo State Ram basketball team came up short against the No. 1 ranked Lubbock Christian Chaparrals 85-76 on Jan. 27 in a double-overtime matchup.  

Coming off of two strong road wins, the Ram basketball team was met with a jam-packed Stephens Arena in the Junell Center Thursday night. After witnessing the Rambelle basketball team upset the No. 8 Lady Chaps just minutes earlier, the energy was high as the Rams set up for the opening tip. 

The Rams started the first half off with a quick layup by junior Dante Moses and would continue to grow to a 3-0 lead. LCU would respond with their first layup of the game with 15:27 left to play in the first half. ASU would continue to battle to keep the first half within no more than three points. By playing lockdown defense and converting off of LCU errors, the Rams would lead by 11 points at the half, making the score 37-26. 

Graduate Student Paul Williams would lead the Rams at the half, contributing to 12 of the 37 points. Moses will follow closely behind him with eight points. Salisu Yahaya scored three rebounds, as did Moses. By the end of the half the Rams had shot 45.2% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 83.3% from the free throw line. 

ASU would head into the second half with momentum and extend their lead to as much as 13. However, an 18-0 scoring run by LCU would put ASU down by six with 12:35 left to play. The Rams would continue to battle with an incredible offense by junior Tyrell Carroll, sophomore Lathaniel Bastian, Williams and Moses to bring the Rams two points with 2:48 left in regulation. LCU would fight back and force ASU in the first overtime period with the score being tied 66-66.

The Rams would fight through two full periods of overtime and hold the lead for most of the play. However, late fouls, turnovers and missed offensive opportunities would ultimately cause the Rams to fall 85-79 against the Chaparrals. Four of the Rams ended in double digits, with Wiliams having 20, Carroll with 18, Moses with 18 and Bastian having 10. Bastian would contribute to 15 of the team's total rebounds, with junior Devaughn Thomas also contributing seven.

“ We had a lot of guys who played a lot of minutes,”  head coach Cinco Boone said when asked how the Rams would prepare for the next game. “We have to be ready for what Eastern New Mexico is going to run offensively and have to take care of our bodies. You have to continue the process.”

Boone thanked the community of San Angelo and Angelo State University for the support and giving the team “all of their juice”.

The Angelo State Rams will look for a home win as they take on the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds on Jan. 29 at 4 p.m.