Men's Basketball | 11/15/2013 11:39:00 PM
Box Score FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 3-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team exploded for 57 points in the second half here Friday night and cruised to a 100-86 victory at Nova Southeastern.
The Sharks (0-3) were able to keep Coach Jim Crutchfield's Hilltoppers (2-0) in range for much of the first half and trailed just 43-38 at the break as West Liberty struggled to find its shooting touch.
The shots started dropping in the second half and the Black and Gold opened things up quickly. The Hilltoppers pushed their lead out to double-digits less than three minutes into the second half and took their largest lead of the night, 80-61, on a pair of Seger Bonifant free throws with 8:21 remaining.
Nova Southeastern made one last run, cutting the margin to 89-80 on a 3-pointer by Chris Page at the4:04 mark, could come no closer as West Liberty put the game on ice.
Junior standout C.J. Hester led another balanced Hilltopper attack with 24 points and 11 rebounds – both game-highs – for the 25th double-double of his career. Bonifant and Keene Cockburn backed Hester with 19 points each while All-America senior guard Cedric Harris added 18 points and a game-high 7 assists.
Page led five double-figure scorers for the hosts with 19 points.
West Liberty returns home to host Point Park (Pa.) on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the ASRC.
