GLENVILLE, W.Va. – The No. 8-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team shot better than 60 percent from the floor and coasted to its 9th straight win here Saturday, handing Glenville State a 101-90 setback at the Waco Center.
    Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (13-1, 7-1) opened the game with an 11-1 burst and never trailed in handing the Pioneers (5-6, 2-5) only their second home loss of the season.
    West Liberty coasted into the halftime locker room with a 53-44 lead but in a battle between two of the nation's highest-scoring teams it was hardly surprising to see Glenville State mount a second-half surge.
    The Pioneers – who lead all NCAA Division II teams with an average of nearly 13 3-point field goals a night – burst out of the blocks with an 8-0 run to make it a one-point game, 53-52, less than two minutes into the second half.
    The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes with Glenville cutting the margin back to a single point on multiple occasions but never quite getting over the hump.
    Zane DeSouza did forge the first – and what proved to be only – tie of the game when he drained a 3-pointer from the right corner just in front of the GSC bench for a 62-62 deadlock with 13:27 remaining.
    Bryce Butler answered for the Hilltoppers with a pair of quick hoops to put the Black and Gold on top for good but the Pioneers' deadly perimeter shooting kept them within range for a few more minutes.
    West Liberty finally was able to create some separation at the midway point of the second half.
    Ben Sarson finished off a SportsCenter quality Pat Robinson assist for a 76-71 Hilltopper lead as the clock ticked under 10 minutes. West Liberty forced a turnover at the other end and Zach Rasile capitalized with a net-splashing 3-pointer to make it 79-71.
    Another empty possession for the PIoneers ended with Butler grabbing the defensive rebound and dribbling coast-to-coast for an 81-71 Hilltopper lead. Glenville turned the ball over again and Sarson's rebound hoop made it 83-71 with just under 8 minutes to play.
    The Pioneers never threatened again.
    Butler finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points to go along with game-highs of 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Robinson led all scorers with a game-high 24 points while dishing out 6 assists and going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.
    Malik McKinney was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, and finished with 15 points and 5 assists before fouling out. Rasile also knocked down three 3-point bombs and joined the double-figure scorers with 13 points. Viktor Kovacevic had 10 points and 5 rebounds before fouling out – the teams combined for 41 personal fouls – while Garrett Denbow added 9 points off the bench.
    John Williams had 23 points to lead four double-figure scorers for the hosts.
    The Hilltoppers head to Frostburg State on Wednesday in search of their 10th consecutive win. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.