WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The No. 2-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team hit its first seven 3-point shots and never took its foot off the gas here Wednesday night in coasting to a 127-101 victory against Salem at the ASRC.
    Senior center Eric Meininger was 4-for-4 from behind the arc and knocked down 20 of his game-high 24 points in the first 15 minutes as Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (2-1) pulled away early from the visiting Tigers (2-1).
    "Whenever I hit a couple of shots early, it really seems to get my confidence going," Meininger said. "We're a little different team personnel-wise this season but I really like being a playmaker and working with the younger guys. I like the way this team is coming together. I like it a lot."
    Salem, which came into the game off back-to-back wins against Urbana and Carlow (Pa.), was able to keep pace with the high-flying Black and Gold in the frenetic early going.
    A Shawn Christian jumper trimmed the WLU lead to 16-15 with 16:23 on the clock but Meininger whipped in his third 3-pointer of the half just 10 seconds later and the Hilltoppers seemed to shift into another gear.
    West Liberty's pressure defense held the Tigers off the board for more than 5 minutes and a short jumper by Will Yoakum capped an 18-0 Hilltopper surge that all but put the game on ice, 34-16, with 11:30 left in the half.
    "This guy was unbelievable tonight," Howlett said with a nod toward Meininger seated next to him at the post-game press conference. "He had 24 points in 18 minutes, getting to the rim, making 3-pointers. On top of that, I think he's the best passing big man in the country. Our offense really flows when he's on the court."
    The Black and Gold carried a 70-50 lead into the halftime locker room and led by as many as 32 points in the second half despite Howlett substituting early and often. Every Hilltopper saw at least 11 minutes of action while no WLU player was on the court for more than 22 minutes.
    That balance and versatility showed up in the box score with nine West Liberty players making at least one 3-point shot and six Hilltoppers reaching double figures.
    Sophomore Marlon Moore had a huge game off the bench with 17 points and 13 rebounds in just 15 minutes of action. Will Yoakum added 15 points and Brady Arnold finished with 14. Ariel Watson chipped in with 13 points and Nate Allen weighed in with 10 as West Liberty shot 51 percent (44-of-86) from the floor, 50 percent (17-of-34) from the 3-point arc and 88 percent (22-of-25) from the foul line.
    "Obviously we shot the ball well tonight," Howlett said, "but we were getting great looks because we passed the ball better. We had more turnovers than assists our first two games and that's something we addressed before the game.
    "We have to get ready for a really tough game on Saturday against a Glenville team that is off to a great start. They only lost to Marshall by 5 points and Marshall went to the NCAA Tournament last year so we have to be ready to play at a high level. We start preparing for them tomorrow."
    The Hilltoppers and Pioneers will tip off the Mountain East Conference season Saturday at 4 p.m. inside the ASRC.