Men's Basketball | 2/19/2015 10:25:00 PM

Box Score BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The No. 7-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team finished off a season sweep of West Virginia Wesleyan in impressive fashion Thursday night, sprinting away to a 92-70 victory at Rockefeller Arena.
It was the ninth straight win for Coach Jim Crutchfield's Hilltoppers (23-2, 18-2), who had been held to a season-low 79 points in last month's first meeting with the defensive-minded Bobcats (11-15, 9-11) but had no problem lighting up the scoreboard in the rematch.
Both teams shot well over 50 percent from the floor but West Liberty's high-pressure defense made the difference, forcing Wesleyan into nearly as many turnovers (22) as field goals (23). The Hilltoppers posted a whopping 33-4 edge in points off turnovers.
Trailing 48-39 at intermission, the Bobcats' slow-down tactics allowed them to stay in contact with West Liberty for the first few minutes of the second half.
A Tanner McGrew post move pulled the hosts within seven points, 68-61, as the clock ticked under 12 minutes to play but that's when the Hilltoppers applied the defensive clamps.
A pair of Devin Hoehn 3-pointers bookended a 15-1 West Liberty run that put the game on ice, 83-62, with 5:25 remaining.
The Bobcats made just one shot from the floor in the final 12 minutes and trailed by as many as 26 points down the stretch.
Hoehn led all scorers with a game-high 20 points while Seger Bonifant added 17 markers, C.J. Hester finished with 13 and Zac Grossenbacher came off the bench for 10 points.
McGrew and Chris Dewberry paced Wesleyan with 17 points each.
West Liberty closes out its home slate on Saturday afternoon against Glenville State. Tipoff for the Hilltoppers' annual Senior Day festivities is set for 4 p.m. at the ASRC.

GAME NOTES
X The MEC champion Hilltoppers are 123-7 (.946) in conference play over the past six seasons
X Jim Crutchfield is 20-1 against the Bobcats since taking the WLU reins in 2004-05
X The 92 points scored by the Hilltoppers were a season-high for the visitors in a Wesleyan home game this season
X West Liberty improved to 92-1 when holding opponents under 80 points dating back to the end of the 2008-09 season