WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The No. 12-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team took command with a 19-4 run midway through the second half and led by as many as 21 points down the stretch in beating West Virginia State, 105-90, Thursday night at the ASRC.
    Marlon Moore came off the bench to post his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds – both career-highs – as Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (10-2, 6-1) stung the Yellow Jackets (5-8, 2-5) for the 17^th consecutive time.
    "Marlon almost had a double-double at halftime," Howlett said. "I've said the more he plays, the better he gets and he was tremendous tonight. Marlon's not afraid to go up in a crowd and pull the tough rebound and he had a bunch of those tonight. I'm really proud of him."
    West Liberty led just 60-56 as the clock ticked under the 15-minute mark but that's when the Hilltoppers found another gear.        
    Brady Arnold got things started with a driving layup and back-to-back 3-pointers from Luke Dyer and Moore produced the game's first double-digit lead, 68-56, with just under 14 minutes to play.
    State tried to stop the bleeding with a putback hoop from Glen Abram but Eric Meininger drained another bonus bomb and the Black and Gold were on their way.
    Nate Allen sailed coast-to-coast for a rim-rocking dunk before Dalton Bolon's layup closed out the surge, putting the game out of reach, 79-60, with 9:49 to go.
    "That's the thing I love about this team," Moore said. "Anybody can step up and do it on any given night. Tonight it was me but the next game it could be Luke or Nate or Will (Yoakum) or Ariel (Watson), who knows? That has to be fun to watch."
    Bolon finished with a game-high 22 points to pace six double-figure scorers in a well-balanced WLU attack. Yahel Hill finished with a dozen points while Arnold added 11. Dyer and Tyler Primmer finished with 10 points each.
    Gus Stone paced the Yellow Jackets with 16 points while Abram chipped in with 13 tallies. Pat Johnson-Agwu and Jeremiah Moore rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
    The Hilltoppers hit the road on Saturday for a crucial Mountain East Conference test against Charleston. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at the Wehrle Center.