WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Anthony Lee poured in a career-high 41 points and Kutztown shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half here Friday night to shock No. 2-ranked West Liberty, 107-97, in the MEC/PSAC Conference Crossover at the ASRC.
    Lee, who ranked among the NCAA Division II leaders in scoring, 3-point shooting percentage and free throw percentage, had all aspects of his game in mid-season form. The 6-2 senior guard torched the Hilltoppers all night long, going 5-for-7 from the 3-point arc and 16-for-17 from the charity stripe.
    "We played (Kutztown) two years ago in the NCAA Tournament so we knew Anthony Lee was a great player," Howlett said. "A lot of our game prep focused on stopping him but he made some really tough shots and hurt us from the foul line, as well. They have a really good basketball team and he's special."
    West Liberty got off to a flying start as the Hilltoppers' full-court pressure helped the hosts jet out to a 10-0 lead barely two minutes after the opening tip.
    A major highlight of the opening half came at the 16:55 mark when senior guard Brady Arnold came into the game on the first rotation. It was Arnold's first game back since sitting out last season while fighting a winning battle against cancer and his return to the court drew a standing ovation.
    "It was great to get back with my teammates and the fans," Arnold said. "It was really heartwarming the way the fans reacted. That standing ovation is something I'll never forget."
    The hosts took their largest lead of the night, 39-28, on a Dalton Bolon jumper off a feed from Luke Dyer with 7:34 left in the opening half but that proved to be the high water mark for WLU as Kutztown fought its way back into the game before intermission.
    With time running out in the half, Lee came up with a steal and sailed coast-to-coast for a layup just ahead of the horn, cutting the West Liberty lead to 52-50 at the break.
    "That's what makes this such a tough loss for us," Howlett said. "We came out of the blocks really well. We were sharing the ball, getting great looks and the crowd was really into it. We had all the momentum but we just weren't able to sustain it."
    Kutztown took its first lead of the night, 59-57, when Kyree Generett finished off an assist from Lee with 16:29 on the clock. The lead swung back and forth several times after that but the Golden Bears' sizzling second-half shooting proved too much for WLU to overcome.
    Eric Meininger drained a 3-pointer for West Liberty to forge the game's final tie, 74-74, with 9:32 remaining but Lee put Kutztown ahead to stay by draining a 22-foot 3-point bomb while being fouled. The free throw put the visitors up, 78-74, with 9:11 on the clock and the Hilltoppers couldn't get over the hump.
    "We're a young team, starting two freshmen, two sophomores and a senior," Howlett said. "We will learn from this and we'll get better. Kutztown shot almost 50 free throws tonight and that's on me. I have to do a better job of teaching my guys how to play defense without fouling."
    Bolon had a double-double for West Liberty with 26 points and 10 rebounds while Meininger weighed in with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Dyer tossed in a career-high 15 points while redshirt freshman Will Yoakum added 14 points before fouling out in his collegiate debut. Arnold checked off more than a few boxes in his return with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
    Ricky Hicks backed Lee with 16 points for Kutztown while Da'Quan Granberry and Josh Townsend added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
    West Liberty faces another tough test on Saturday when the Black and Gold close out the event with a 5 p.m. game against West Chester (Pa.). The Golden Rams are coming off a run to the Atlantic Region semifinals a year ago and were picked No. 1 in the PSAC East's preseason coaches' poll.
    "I like our team and it's exciting for me to play good teams like Kutztown and West Chester," Howlett said. "They're really well-coached teams who are going to win a lot of basketball games. We're young but it's games like this that will help us get better and better."