SAN ANGELO, Texas (February 27, 2025) – Coming into the game knowing that it would need a win to make the Lone Star Conference Tournament next week, The University of Texas Permian Basin men's basketball team played a great first half but fell apart in the second half as Angelo State University earned a 74-67 win to keep the Falcons out of the postseason for the second year in a row.

It was somewhat of a slow start offensively for both teams, but UTPB began to find its groove halfway through the first half, leading 20-11 after an 8-0 run ending with a fastbreak dunk by DJ Armstrong assisted by Maison Adeleye with under seven minutes to go in the opening period.

A layup by Dario Domingos gave the Falcons the first double-digit lead of the contest (26-15) with under four minutes to go until halftime, and then a 3-pointer by Armstrong made it a 15-point game (31-16) with under two and a half minutes to go. A tip-in by Domingos to end the first half made it a 12-point lead (33-21) at the break.

As well as the offense did shooting 54.5 percent (12-22) from the field, the UTPB defense was the star of the first half, holding ASU to 28.0 percent (7-25) shooting and forcing many shots late in the shot clock by the Rams, all while also holding a 13-7 advantage on the defensive glass (led 16-11 on the boards overall).

Coming into the game, it was the Rams who possessed one of the most formidable defenses in the LSC and Division II, ranking third in the conference and 24th in the nation in points allowed per game (66.6). The Rams were also second in the LSC and 15th in the country in opponents' field goal percentage (30.1 percent).

The ASU offense, however, came out on a mission to start the second half, outscoring UTPB 12-2 to start the period and climbing all the way back to within just two points (35-33) with 15:20 remaining.

A second-chance layup by Adeleye finally stopped a 10-0 Rams' run five minutes into the second half, and then Adeleye followed that with a pair of free throws to make it a 39-33 lead.

ASU cut it to a three-point game again (41-38), but UTPB was able to answer with a 3-pointer by Sharrod Taylor and a pair of free throws by Alex Matthews to make it 46-38 with 11:40 left to play.

ASU continued to stay close as Carvell Teasett hit a stepback 3-pointer to make it just a two-point game (48-46) with nine minutes remaining.

A turnaround two-point jumper and another 3-pointer by Teasett tied the game at 51-51 with eight minutes left, and then a 3-pointer by Sterling Gaston-Chapman made it an 8-0 run and gave the Rams a three-point lead (54-51), their first lead of the second half, with seven minutes to go.

After a timeout, a turnover by the Falcons led to a fastbreak layup by Shemar Smith, making it a 56-51 ASU lead before a 3-pointer by Armstrong to stop a two-minute UTPB scoring drought and put an end to another 10-0 Rams' scoring run.

After two free throws by Matthews with 5:07 on the clock, a 3-pointer by Adeleye put the Falcons back in front 61-60 with four and a half minutes left.

ASU got a layup by Smith on its next possession, followed by another stepback 3-pointer by Teasett as the shot clock ran down to make it a 65-61 Rams' lead with under three minutes to go.

Matthews again went 2-for-2 from the free throw line, but Smith was fouled on his two-point jumper on the next possession and finished off the and-one to make it 68-63. That was followed by a dunk by Gaston-Chapman on the next possession to make it 70-63 and give ASU its biggest lead of the game with under two minutes to go.

It was four straight possessions with a basket during crunch time for the Rams.

Matthews hit a jumper with 1:22 left and Adeleye went 2-for-2 at the line with 44 seconds left to make it a 3-point game (70-67).

A shooting foul with 18.2 seconds remaining sent the Rams to the free throw line, Smith made both shots, and a missed layup at the other end of UTPB spelled the end of the Falcons' season.

ASU scored 53 points and shot 63.3 percent (19-30) from the field and 54.5 percent (6-11) from three in the second half.

Matthews scored 18 points in his final game as a Falcon while Adeleye finished with 16 points and Armstrong added 10. The trio of Matthews, Adeleye and Armstrong played two seasons for the Falcons, coming up just short of the postseason in each year.

Domingos ended his lone season as a Falcon with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

For ASU, Teasett scored 20 points on 4-for-8 shooting from three; Smith matched him with 20 points and was 7-for-9 from the field; and Gaston-Chapman finished with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.

UTPB turned it over nine times in the second half and was outscored 14-2 on points off turnovers and 9-2 on fastbreak points in the final period.

On the positive side, the Falcons shot 50 percent from the field for the eighth time this season and shot a season-best 94.4 percent (17-18) from the free throw line.

With six straight road losses to end the season, UTPB finishes its 2024-25 season 16-12 overall and 12-10 in the Lone Star Conference. Entering the week, it was St. Edward's University, West Texas A&M University, Angelo State, and UTPB all fighting for one of the three remaining spots in the LSC Tournament, but it was the Falcons who came up just short.

St. Edward's (19-11, 13-8) clinched its spot in the LSC Tournament on Wednesday night with an 80-73 home win over St. Mary's University. The Hilltoppers would have needed to lose twice this week against the Rattlers to allow the Falcons to make the postseason with a loss to the Rams.

Angelo State (17-11, 13-9) is 15-4 this season when it holds opponents to under 70 points, and is now 34-4 when playing at home inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena during Head Coach Vinay Patel's three seasons in San Angelo.

It was the second year in a row the Falcons have been kept out of the postseason by falling to the Rams in the final game of the regular season. In addition, UTPB's season has ended at the hands of the Rams during all four of Head Coach Kyle Tolin's seasons leading the Falcons.