WISE, Va. – The No. 5-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team won its 11th straight here Thursday night, outlasting a hot-shooting UVa-Wise squad, 112-100, in Mountain East Conference action at the Prior Center.
    Coach Ben Howlett's league-leading Hilltoppers (18-2, 13-1) got a career-high-tying 31 points from Dalton Bolon to pace four double-figure scorers in completing the season sweep of the Cavaliers (7-14, 4-11).
    It was the second straight 31-point outing for Bolon as the reigning MEC Player of the Week was coming off a game-high 31 points in Saturday's 96-85 NCAA Division II Showcase win against Fairmont State. The 6-4 sophomore guard was 9-for-10 from the floor on Thursday, including a 4-for-5 showing from the 3-point arc, and knocked down 9 of his 11 charity tosses to pace the Black and Gold.
    While West Liberty never trailed, the Hilltoppers had a difficult time gaining any separation against a UVa-Wise squad that blistered the nets at a 55 percent (36-of-66) pace and drained 13-of-26 shots from the 3-point arc.
    The Black and Gold built a double-digit lead in the first half only to see a late Cavalier surge close the gap to 54-50 at intermission.
    West Liberty pushed the margin into double figures several times in the second half but UVa-Wise's hot shooting kept the hosts within striking distance.
    The Cavaliers closed to within five points, 100-95, on a Tajh Eason layup as the clock ticked past the 5-minute mark but back-to-back buckets by Bolon and freshman guard Yahel Hill pushed the lead to 104-95 and UVa-Wise had run out of answers.
    The teams combined for nearly 50 fouls and 70 free throws in the physical contest and that proved a big advantage for the Hilltoppers.
    The Cavaliers struggled from the charity stripe, making just 15 of their 25 free throw attempts, while WLU – one of the nation's top free throw shooting teams – knocked down a staggering 38-of-42 foul tosses on the night.
    Bolon had plenty of support on the offensive end as senior center Eric Meininger added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Hill finished with 17 points. Will Yoakum added 14 points and 6 rebounds as West Liberty also amassed a whopping 45-25 edge off the glass.
    UVa-Wise got a team-high 27 points from freshman Briggs Parris while Kaeleb Carter added 22 points and Cameron Whiteside finished with 16.
    The road doesn't get any easier for West Liberty as the Black and Gold head to Concord on Saturday to take on a Mountain Lion squad that carried WLU to double-overtime before dropping a 109-108 decision inside the ASRC last month. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in Athens, W.Va.