WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Six players scored in double-figures and No. 9 West Liberty led by as many as 26 points down the stretch here Thursday in coasting to a 108-93 win against UVa-Wise at the ASRC.
    It was the 12^th win in the last 13 games for Coach Ben Howlett's surging Hilltoppers (12-2, 8-1), who moved back into a tie for first place in the Mountain East Conference following Fairmont State's loss to Urbana on Thursday.
    West Liberty led virtually wire-to-wire, taking a 57-36 lead into the locker room at intermission, but the Cavaliers (5-9, 3-6) weren't ready to run up the white flag.
    The visitors mounted an extended run over the first five minutes of the second half and managed to get the lead under double-figure, 64-55, on a fast break layup by Tajh Eason with 15:23 left to play.
    "We got way too loose in the second half," Howlett said. "We're not really playing together right now. Defensively, it's like we think we can just outscore teams because we're not taking pride in getting stops. Offensively, the ball is sticking too much on the perimeter. We're taking too many tough shots off the dribble instead of getting open shots off the pass and it's really frustrating as a coach."
    That turned out to be as close as UVa-Wise would get as senior guard Brady Arnold cashed in a layup off a steal to ignite a 19-2 Hilltopper run over the next five minutes.
    Fellow senior Eric Meininger and Arnold had key 3-pointers during the spurt as the Hilltoppers put the game out of reach, 83-57, with just under 11 minutes to play.
    All five West Liberty starters hit double-figures, paced by freshman guard Will Yoakum's 20 points. Meininger had another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists while Dalton Bolon, Yahel Hill and Luke Dyer all finished with 10 points each.
    Senior Evan French added a dozen points and four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. It was the first extended playing time of the season for French, a returning Academic All-American who missed the first semester while rehabbing the second ACL tear of his college career.
    "I'm really proud of Evan for battling back a second time," Howlett said. "The amount of work he does in rehabilitation is just phenomenal. He had an incredible season last year and helped us win a lot of games but I really didn't think he could make it back from this one. I'm so glad he proved me wrong."
    French led last year's team in 3-point field goal percentage (54-of-127, .425) and ranked third in the MEC while hitting double-figure 15 times – including a 21-point night with seven 3-point field goals in a win against West Virginia Wesleyan.
    "I was really looking forward to this season after the way last season went so it was tough when it happened again," French said. "Fortunately, I have a great support system here with the coaches and players so I just set a series of short-term goals, put my head down and ground it out. I'm still rehabbing every day but it was great to get back out on the court and help the team."
    Briggs Parris led the Cavaliers with 23 points while Michal Seals finished with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
    The Hilltoppers return to the ASRC boards on Saturday to take on a fast-rising Concord squad. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.