WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The No. 8-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team battled through its worst shooting night of the season to hold off Shepherd, 96-94, here Wednesday.
    Dalton Bolon drained four straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to give Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (7-1, 5-0) an insurmountable 96-91 lead. The Rams' (5-3, 2-3) Thomas Lang banked in a 3-point heave at the buzzer for the game's final points.
    It was the seventh straight win for the Black and Gold, who overcame a 43-41 halftime deficit to lead by as many as 12 points in the second half only to find themselves in a one-possession game with less than a minute to play.
    "I wasn't happy with the way we played tonight," Howlett said, "but I was happy with the way we finished. I think our seniors had a lot to do with that. Tyler (Primmer) made a number of big shots on crucial possessions and Eric (Meininger) was just unbelievable again."
    A Will Yoakum free throw put WLU up, 92-88, with 56 seconds to play but the Rams' Derek McKnight made it a one-possession game with a pair of free throws at the 49-second mark.
    Shepherd had a chance to tie when West Liberty missed on its next possession and fouled McKnight going for the rebound with 31 seconds to play. McKnight made the first charity toss but the second one spun out and Bolon was fouled as he pulled down the rebound.
    Bolon cashed both free throws and the Hilltopper defense came up big, denying any 3-point attempts and ultimately forcing a hurried shot by McKnight with time running out. Will Yoakum grabbed the rebound for WLU and shoveled the ball over to Bolon, who was fouled with just 3 seconds left to set up the clinching free throws.
    Primmer, a fifth-year senior, came off the bench to score 16 points in 18 minutes but his late-game experience was also a big factor for a team that starts two freshmen, two sophomores and one senior.
    "I've been in a lot of these games here," Primmer said, "and I just think back to when I was a freshman, take what I learned from the older guys back then and pass it along to our guys. It's all about doing whatever it takes to help us win. We didn't shoot it very well tonight and we gave up some easy baskets in transition but in the end, we still found a way to get the win."
    A 17-2 Shepherd run late in the first half had sent the visitors into the locker room with a 43-41 lead at the break. Howlett wasn't pleased with the way his team had played in the first 20 minutes.
    "We didn't move the ball as well as we have been," Howlett said. "We're really good when we pass and move but the ball was sticking on the perimeter tonight. I challenged our guards at halftime and Yahel Hill really responded. He came out and scored on our first two possessions and went on to have a great second half."
    West Liberty had shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the last six games but that streak came to a crashing halt on Wednesday. The Hilltoppers were just 35-of-80 (44 percent) from the floor and 10-of-33 (30 percent) from the 3-point arc – both season-lows.
    There was good balance in the WLU scorebook. Along with Primmer's 16 points, Bolon just missed a double-double with 20 points and 9 rebounds despite going just 1-for-7 from the 3-point arc. Meininger had a huge game with 13 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and a team-high 5 assists while Yoakum added 17 points to go along with 6 rebounds and Hill had 16 points - 12 of them in the second half.
    McKnight led all scorers with 32 points while Winston Burgess backed him with 22 points and 8 rebounds.
    The Hilltoppers head to Fairmont State on Sunday for a crucial early-season league tilt. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Joe Retton Arena.