West Liberty University Athletics

Brandon Norfleet’s clutch 3-pointer with just 7 seconds remaining snapped a 74-74 tie to help the No. 25-ranked Crimson Hawks (29-6) end No. 5 West Liberty’s four-year reign as Atlantic Region champions.
    Atlantic Region Player of the Year Seger Bonifant had given the host Hilltoppers (28-4) their last lead, 74-72, when he banked in a runner with 1:51 remaining but IUP’s Devon Cottrell muscled in the equalizer with an aggressive post move at the 1:05 mark.
    All-Region standout Devante Chance, the PSAC West Player of the Year, came up with a huge steal at the other end and ran the shot clock down into single digits before curling into the lane. As the West Liberty defense shifted to help, Chance kicked the ball out to a wide-open Norfleet in the right corner and Norfleet hit nothing but net with just 2 seconds left on the shot clock.
    The Hilltoppers’ Devon Hoehn got a good look at a 3-pointer with time running down but the shot wouldn’t drop, giving IUP the sixth Elite Eight berth in school history.
    Shawn Dyer, a West Liberty transfer, led all scorers with 23 points and was named Tournament MVP. Chance joined him on the All-Tournament Team with 19 points and 7 assists while Cottrell finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds for an IUP squad that shot a blistering 61 percent (14-of-23) from the floor in the second half and 58 percent (29-of-50) for the game.
    All-Region senior C.J. Hester came up big in his final game in Black and Gold, tossing in a team-high 22 points – highlighted by a 6-for-7 showing from the 3-point arc – and leading the team with 6 rebounds. Bonifant and Hoehn added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for a WLU squad that hit 52 percent (27-of-52) of its shots from the floor and 61 percent (14-of-23) of its 3-point tries but couldn’t overcome a 31-19 rebounding deficit.
    Hester and Bonifant were West Liberty’s All-Tournament representatives.