WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The No. 4-ranked West Liberty men's basketball team took one step closer to another Mountain East Conference title here Saturday with a 107-86 runaway at Concord.
    It was the eighth straight win and 18th in the last 19 games for Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (22-2, 16-2), who have a two-game lead over their closest MEC pursuers with only four games remaining.
    A cold-shooting first half saw West Liberty take just a 45-41 lead into the locker room at the break but the Hilltoppers wasted little time putting the Mountain Lions (10-13, 8-10) away when play resumed.
    Zach Rasile bookended a 14-2 West Liberty burst that put the Black and Gold on top, 68-54, with just over 14 minutes remaining and the Hilltoppers never looked back.
    Pat Robinson III led all scorers with 23 points – highlighted by a 10-for-12 showing at the foul line – on a day that saw the All-Region junior guard blow past several significant milestones. Bryce Butler added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Christian Montague tossed in 14 points. Malik McKinney chimed in with 12 points and Marlon Moore Jr. came off the bench with 10 tallies.
    Not only did Robinson become West Liberty's 22nd 1,500-point scorer with 1,513 points during his time at WLU, he pushed his overall collegiate total past the 2,000-point mark at 2,017. The Chesterfield, N.J. native scored 504 points as a freshman at Holy Family (Pa.) before moving to the hilltop.
    Speaking of individual milestones, McKinney's 12 points put the Seton Hill (Pa.) transfer at 1,005 points for his collegiate career. McKinney scored 303 points for the Griffins in his only season at SHU.
    Matt Weir made only two shots from the floor but led Concord with 17 points and 8 assists. Weir was 12-of-14 from the charity stripe in a foul-marred game that saw the teams combine for a staggering 51 personal fouls and 73 free throws.
    The Hilltoppers return home on Wednesday to host Frostburg State. Tipoff time is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the ASRC.