WISE, Va. – The unbeaten and No. 1-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team came up big in the second half here Saturday afternoon and sprinted off to a 99-69 win against UVA-Wise at the Prior Center.

Coach Jim Crutchfield's Hilltoppers (15-0, 9-0) led just 36-29 at the half after shooting a sub-par 33 percent from the floor but the Black and Gold wasted little time finding the range when play resumed.

After the Cavaliers (3-12, 1-8) closed the gap to 36-31 on a Matt Day jumper to start the half, West Liberty turned up the defensive heat.

Back-to-back steals by Mike Lamberti and Brady Arnold capped a 10-0 surge that expanded the margin to 46-31 as the clock ticked past the 16-minute mark and the Hilltoppers kept their foot on the accelerator the rest of the way.

The lead hit 20 points, 56-36, on an Arnold free throw with 12:30 remaining and pushed past the 30-point milestone, 77-47, on an Evan French 3-pointer with 7 ½ minutes left after most of the WLU starters had switched into spectator mode.

The visitors shot nearly 60 percent from the floor after intermission, including a sizzling 8-of-12 on 3-point attempts, in putting the game out of reach.

Senior All-American Seger Bonifant once again led all scorers with 25 points – including a 4-for-5 showing from behind the 3-point arc – while Zac Grossenbacher had a strong game with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Dennis and French rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points each.

Matt Day paced UVA-Wise with 20 points in a losing cause.

The Hilltoppers remain on the road Monday night for a crucial 7:30 p.m. test at Concord.