Angelo holds off Hounds

Reggie Nelson won the battle. LaMarshall Corbett and Angelo State won the war.

Corbett scored 27 points to lead four Rams in double figures and had a key three-point play in Angelo State’s 92-88 squeaker over Eastern New Mexico University Saturday night at Greyhound Arena.

Derrick Webster added 16 for the Rams (12-8, 4-2 LSC South), who claimed a game with seven lead changes and seven ties to offset a career-high 31 from Nelson.

Corbett, the leading scorer in the Lone Star Conference, had the Rams off to a flying start. He was in double figures just seven minutes into the division battle, and had a spinning scoop layup that also drew Tyler Jefferson’s fifth foul with 5:21 to go.

“LeMarshall’s just a fantastic player,” Angelo State coach Fred Rike said. “He’s as good as any of the guys I had at Memphis (assistant coach) or the University of North Texas (head coach). He’s a terrific player, he’s got a good attitude.”

But for the most part, he was matched by Nelson, who needed just 17 shots to amass his career high.

“He played great,” Greyhound coach Andrew Helton said. “He played with a lot of heart, played really tough. It was one of the best games he’s played here, easily.”

But other factors killed the Hounds (7-12, 2-3) in what Helton called a must-win, including allowing the Rams to shoot 62 percent and grab 21 offensive rebounds in the first half, and playing in foul trouble throughout.

“It hurts when I’ve got Tyler (Jefferson) next to me, I’ve got Equs (Darby) next to me, I’ve got Michael (Brown) next to me,” Helton said.

Victor Reid added 16 and Jefferson 12 for the Hounds, who got scoring from eight players and at least seven points from six of them.

Johnny Barnes added 15 and Stavon Williams 11 for the Rams.

The Greyhounds play a home-and-home with West Texas A&M next week — at home Wednesday, and Saturday in Canyon.