Men's Basketball | 12/13/2016 9:33:00 PM

Box Score FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Dan Monteroso poured in a career-high 40 points and No. 5 West Liberty pulled away to an 84-67 victory against Nova Southeastern Thursday night at NSU Arena.
The Sharks (2-6), who trailed for most of the night, made things interesting with an extended surge midway through the second half.
Coach Jim Crutchfield's Hilltoppers (8-1) saw their double-digit lead shrink to three points when Nova Southeastern's Gerard Tarin's free throw trimmed the margin to 59-56 with exactly 10 minutes remaining.
Monteroso stopped the bleeding with one of his seven 3-pointers at the other end of the court. Devin Hoehn followed with another bonus bomb to make it 65-56 and West Liberty was on its way.
The Sharks refused to go away but had no answer for Monteroso, who scored 16 of his 40 points in the final 9 1/2 minutes as the Hilltoppers took command.
The 6-3 junior hit 16-of-23 shots from the floor - including a 7-for-11 showing from behind the 3-point arc - to lead four double-figure scorers for the Black and Gold.
David Dennis backed Monteroso with 13 points, 6 assists and 4 steals while Hoehn overcame a tough shooting night to contribute with 11 points, 5 assists and a career-high 6 steals. Brady Arnold came off the bench with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Tarin, a 6-9 junior transfer from Salem International, led NSU with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Troy Spears added 17 points, including the hosts' only three bonus bombs of the night, and Harrison Goodrick had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in a losing cause.
West Liberty returns home to wrap up its pre-holiday slate with a rare Sunday afternoon game against Clarion (Pa.). Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at the ASRC.