Men's Basketball | 2/15/2018 9:45:00 PM

Box Score

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – No. 5-ranked West Liberty locked up a share of another Mountain East Conference championship and head coach Ben Howlett earned his record-setting 23^rd victory here Thursday night with a 77-66 win at West Virginia Wesleyan.
    It's the eighth league title in the past nine seasons for the Hilltoppers (23-1, 18-1), who were also ranked No. 1 in the first set of NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings earlier this week.
    The win also allowed Howlett, a former West Liberty great in his initial season at the helm of his alma mater, to break a 66-year-old school record for most wins by a first-year head coach. The previous mark had been on the books since the 1951-52 season when Dick Wehr led West Liberty to a 22-6 record and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
    The milestone triumph didn't come easily for the Black and Gold as the host Bobcats (7-18, 7-12) rode a stiff-necked defense and a 5-game winning streak into the contest.
    Running the shot clock down to single digits on nearly every possession and harassing West Liberty throughout with a high-energy zone defense, Wesleyan made a late push in the first half to trail just 34-31 at the break.
    The Hilltoppers led throughout the second half but the slow pace and the Bobcats' well-orchestrated defense made it difficult for the Black and Gold to get any separation.
    West Liberty's defense ultimately proved to be the deciding factor as the visitors held Wesleyan to just 35 percent (23-of-64) shooting from the floor in the game.
    The Bobcats were still hanging around with 5 minutes to go, trailing just 59-54, but managed just one field goal over the next 3 ½ minutes and the Hilltoppers scored 10 of the next 13 points to put the game out of reach, 69-57, with only 90 seconds to play.
    Freshman Dalton Bolon led the way for WLU with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a pair of steals while Dan Monteroso and Jordan Watson added a dozen points each. Evan French came off the bench for 11 points and James Griffin rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 tallies.
    Aaron Ariri muscled home a game-high 21 points to pace the Bobcats.
    West Liberty returns home to host Glenville State on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at the ASRC.