Men's Basketball | 1/4/2018 9:32:00 PM

Box Score

    INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Unbeaten and No. 4-ranked West Liberty used one of its patented scoring burst to take command midway through the first half here Thursday night on its way to a 119-82 rout of West Virginia State at the Walker Center.
    Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (12-0, 7-0) dominated the backboards at both ends of the court and every West Liberty player in uniform scored as WLU blew past the century mark for the 10th time this season.
    The host Yellow Jackets (6-6, 4-3) kept things close in the early going and trailed just 31-28 midway through the opening half when the Hilltoppers shifted into overdrive.
    Dalton Bolon keyed a 15-2 West Liberty spurt over the next three minutes and the three-point margin mushroomed into a 46-30 lead as the clock ticked past the 7-minute mark.
    Bolon – who had a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) by halftime – accounted for 9 of those 15 points and brought the sizable WLU contingent to its feet by soaring in for a slam-dunk follow of a missed shot by a Hilltopper teammate.
    After carrying a 63-47 lead into intermission, West Liberty scored the first seven points of the second half and State never threatened again. The Hilltoppers hit the century mark on a James Griffin layup with more than 8 minutes remaining and led by as many as 45 points down the stretch.
    Defense and rebounding were the keys to success for the Black and Gold.
    The Hilltoppers' high-pressure defense forced 20 turnovers which led to a whopping 32-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
    In addition, West Liberty won the battle of the boards by a 60-37 margin with 30 of WLU's rebounds coming on the offensive end.
    Bolon finished with 20 points and a dozen rebounds and he had plenty of support with the senior duo of Dan Monteroso and Jordan Watson matching his 20-point output. Griffin and Evan French added 15 and 11 points, respectively, to round out the double-figure scorers while Nate Allen came off the bench with 9 points in 11 minutes.
    Pat Johnson-Agwu had 18 points to pace the hosts. Ernest Jenkins and Jeremiah Moore added 14 and 12 points, respectively, in a losing cause.
    The Hilltoppers will be back in action Saturday afternoon when they host Charleston in a 4 p.m. game at the ASRC.