Rams Men's Basketball Defeat Cameron University

For the first time in 13 years, the Angelo State University Men’s Basketball team has a reason to celebrate in the post season.

The Rams defeated the Cameron University Aggies 64-59 Thursday afternoon in the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament being held at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas, to snap a streak of seven consecutive post season losses dating back to 2001. The win puts the Rams into the semi-finals where they will play Midwestern State University Friday for a chance to keep their Division-II NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

The game started off poorly for the Rams, who failed to score within the first seven minutes of play and turned the ball over four times, almost half of their game total, 10, within the first two minutes of the game. However, Angelo State settled down to lead the Aggies 24-15 at halftime, holding Cameron to just 19 percent shooting in the first half.

The second half saw the Rams come out on fire as they jumped to a 34-19 lead, the largest they would hold for the entire game, with 15 minutes left to play. The Aggies, however, did not go down without a fight. Cameron went on a 21-9 run over the next seven minutes, cutting the Rams 15-point lead to three by the eight minute mark.

Led by seniors Bryan Hammond and Kenny Williams with 22 and 21 points, the Rams hung tough down the stretch with the offense scoring when needed and the defense holding a talented Cameron backcourt to just 6 percent from 3 point range. The Rams withstood shooting just 63 percent from the free throw line, missing many key free throws late in the game, and scoring just nine points off the bench compared to Cameron’s 35.

The win put Angelo State at 19-8 on the season and keeps their hopes alive for an at-large berth into the NCAA Regional Tournament that starts next week.

The Rams tip off Friday at 2:30 pm CT in the Allen Event Center.