SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State men's basketball team opens regular season play as it travels to Stephenville, Texas this weekend to face off against the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs and Metropolitan State in the Tip-off Classic –Conference Challenge.
The Rams will look to use the experience it gained in the last week during its two exhibition games against Division I Texas Tech and University of Houston. The Rams will kick things off on Friday, November 10 at 2 p.m. as it takes on the UCCU Mountain Lions. It will then complete the Conference Challenge with Metro State the following day with tip-off also slated for 2 p.m.
The Mountain Lions completed its 2016-17 season with 12-16 overall record falling in the Rocky Mountain Conference Championship Tournament to then then ranked No. 21 Fort Lewis in the first round. UCCU also partook in in last year's Tip-off Classic –Conference Challenge falling to both UT-Permian Basin and then No. 10 ranked Tarleton State. Much like the Rams, UC –Colorado Springs opened the 2017-18 preseason with a pair of exhibition games downing Yellowstone Christian (98-50) out of the NIAI and falling to Division III Colorado College (73-71) the very next day. The last time that ASU took on UCCU was during Head Coach Cinco Boone's inaugural year at the helm (2015-16). The Rams emerged from the bout victorious by a score of 106-92.
The Roadrunners will start its Tip-off Classic facing host school Tarleton State on Friday, November 10 prior to its game with ASU. With a final record of 17-13 overall, MSU advanced to the semifinals of the RMAC Basketball Championship Tournament. Metro State would fall to the Colorado School of Mines (70-61) in the semifinals, who later would advance to the NCAA Elite Eight tournament. It has been over a decade since ASU has met the Roadrunners on the court, with the last matchup happening during the 2006-07 season and resulting in an 82-70 loss for the Rams.
The Rams offense will be looking to its many weapons on the court to put up numbers against the two teams. James Kirksey, Kiair Crouch, Ja'Michael Brown, Will Adler, Daron Mims and Ran Tut have all scored in double-digits for the Rams during its two exhibition games. Mims, a junior transfer out of Allen County Community College, has led the squad thus far with 19 points in the bout with Division I Texas Tech. Kirksey follows closely behind, drooping in an 18 against U of H. In its last match up, the Rams knocked down 43.1 percent of its short range jumpers and 36.4 percent of its shots from beyond the arch. From the charity stripe, the rams are hitting just over 75 percent. Brown also leads the Rams in ball distribution with 10 assist thus far.
Defensively, ASU grabbed a total of 26 boards over the Houston Cougars. Kirksey headed the category with five to his name for the game. Against Texas Tech it was senior DeVaughn Jenkins who led the way with four. Four Rams have pocketed a pair of steals during the preseason exhibitions, which include Antonio Singleton, Crouch, and Brown. Kirksey led the team as he tallied two steals in each of the games.
Saturday's game against Metro State will be broadcasted live on 1260 KKSA, with Keltin Wiens on the call.
