The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

LATHANIEL Bastian and the Angelo State Rams are headed to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The Rams secured an at-large bid in the South Central Regional and will face familiar Lone Star Conference foe West Texas A & M in the opening round.

The regional is scheduled to take place March 12-15 in Lubbock, Texas.

The Rams concluded the season 20-9 - 9-6 in the LSC. In the regular season, the teams split the matchups 1-1, but West Texas A & M had the most recent edge as they eliminated Angelo State in the LSC Tournament semifinal last week.

The Rams lost 83-74 to the Buffaloes at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. Bastian finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

The South Central bracket features six teams from the LSC - Angelo State, Dallas Baptist University, Texas A&M Commerce, Texas A&M-Kingsville, West Texas A&M, and the hosts of the regional, Lubbock Christian. Two RMAC schools join the Lone Star representatives, Colorado Mesa and Black Hills State will travel to compete in Lubbock. A field of 64 teams will comprise the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. Twenty-three conferences were awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 41 teams were selected at large by the committee.

The eight regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals in conjunction with the 2022 NCAA Division II Men’s Elite Eight.

The quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games will be conducted at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, March 22, 24 and 26.

Bastian, in his first season with the Rams, was named an LSC Honorable Mention selection. He led the Rams in rebounding and blocked shots, averaging 7.8 boards and 1.4 blocks per game. He has pulled down 219 rebounds - 90 on the offensive glass. He averaged 11.3 points per game on 61 percent shooting from the field.