Men's Basketball | 1/24/2018 10:04:00 PM

Box Score

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The unbeaten and No. 1-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team set an NCAA Division II record with 11 players making at least one 3-point shot as WLU blasted Shepherd, 115-78, Wednesday night at the ASRC.
    Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (18-0, 13-0) opened the game with a 16-4 burst over the first five minutes and were never challenged in handing the Rams (11-8, 7-6) only their second loss in the last 10 games.
    "We really stressed coming out of the blocks strong during shootaround today," Howlett said, "and I'm really proud of the way the guys responded. Platoon number one was wonderful and platoon number two came in and was even better."
    West Liberty's high-pressure defense set the tone as Shepherd turned the ball over on its first two possessions. A layup by WLU's James Griffin and a Dalton Bolon 3-pointer made it 5-0 before the first minute had ticked off the clock.
    By the time the margin hit 19-6 at the first media timeout, four Hilltoppers had already combined for five 3-point bombs and the visitors never recovered.
    West Liberty stretched out to a 56-28 halftime lead and continued to pull away over the final 20 minutes despite Howlett making liberal use of his bench. Every player in uniform saw at least 10 minutes on the court and no player had more than 21 minutes of action.
    The Hilltoppers were 19-of-45 from the 3-point line as a team on Wednesday. The previous single-game record of 10 players with at least one 3-point field goal was shared by West Liberty, which accomplished the feat earlier this year against Cheyney (Pa.), along with Troy State (Ala.) and Central Oklahoma.
    "Our guys can all shoot the basketball," Howlett said. "I truly believe we are one of the best shooting teams in the country and have been for the last 13 years. We recruit for that."
    Seven players reached double-figures, led by Griffin with 17 points. Bolon and All-American Dan Monteroso added 16 each with Brandon Smith hitting for 13. Jordan Watson and Tyler Primmer finished with 11 points while Evan French just missed a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds in just 20 minutes off the bench.
    Bolon hit his first four 3-pointers after going 6-for-6 from behind the arc in Saturday's win at nationally-ranked Wheeling Jesuit. Although a trip to arch rival Fairmont State – which is also receiving Top 25 votes – is up next for WLU on Sunday, the redshirt freshman said there was no danger of being caught looking ahead.
    "Coach Howlett does a great job of keeping us locked in on our next opponent; just taking things one game at a time," Bolon said. "We knew Shepherd was a very good team and they were coming in here pretty hot so we weren't even thinking about Fairmont. We've been strictly focused on Shepherd since Saturday."
    Winston Burgess and Thomas Lang had 17 points each to lead the Rams.
    Sunday's game at Fairmont State has been picked up for a regional telecast by AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh but Howlett said neither team needed any extra motivation.
    "I think it's one of the better rivalries in the region if not the country," Howlett said. "The coaches know the coaches. The players know the players. It was a great atmosphere when we played them here and I expect another great atmosphere over there. I know our guys are going to be ready to go."
    Tipoff for the special Sunday telecast is set for 5 p.m.