Rangers roll past Cleveland State, 83-66

Caleb Asberry came off the bench to score 18 points and Coryon Mason added 16 more on Tuesday afternoon and led the Ranger College men's basketball team to a successful debut at the 2019 NJCAA Division I Men's National Basketball Championship in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Rangers, backed by double-digit efforts from four players, rolled to an 83-66 win over Cleveland State Community College in the second round of the national tournament.

With the victory, the Rangers earned a berth in Thursday's quarterfinal round to face off against top-seeded Northwestern Florida State College. That game will be played at noon in the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

Jaren English gave Ranger the spark it needed early on. The Michigan native pumped in 13 points in the first 20 minutes of play and helped the Rangers run to a 38-30 halftime cushion.

Brayan Au also played well in the first half. He capped an RC run midway through the half with a breakaway dunk.

Ranger blew the game open in the second, stretching its lead to as many as 23 points before Cleveland State managed to rally late. The Rangers outscored Cleveland State 45-36 margin in the final half.

Asberry had two second-half dunks, much to the glee of a large contingent of Ranger fans that traveled from northcentral Texas to support the squad.

The tournament's No. 8 seed, Ranger improved to 29-3 for the season.

Northwestern Florida advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over Cape Fear.

Cleveland State finished its season at 16-16.

The national tournament will continue through Saturday.