West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 3 West Liberty University men's basketball team withstood an early test by Seton Hill on Saturday night, however the Hilltoppers used an early second half scoring run to break the game open and secure a 101-67 win. The Hilltoppers trailed by as many as six in the first half, but a 31-7 scoring run in the first ten minutes of the second half gave WLU some breathing room as they notched their second straight win of 30 or more points to open the season.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: No. 3 West Liberty 101, Seton Hill 67
Team Records: No. 3 West Liberty 2-0, Seton Hill 1-1
Attendance: 1,034
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A night removed from never trailing on opening night, it was Seton Hill who jumped ahead with five consecutive points to open the game before Dante Spadafora scored the first points of the night for West Liberty on a 3-pointer. Chaz Hinds quickly scored another 3-pointer to give the Hilltoppers their first lead at 6-5 with 17:35 left in the first half.
• A pair of layups and a 3-pointer for the Griffins gave them the lead back at 12-6 with 16:10 left in the first half following a 7-0 scoring run.
• With 12:41 remaining in the half, the Black & Gold regained the lead with a layup by Finley Woodward in the midst of an 11-0 scoring run.
• Seton Hill tied the game at 40 apiece with a layup with 3:03 left in the half, but a 3-pointer by Zach Rasile sparked an 8-0 run as the Hilltoppers grabbed their largest lead in the opening half at 48-40. The Griffins then added a layup with 24 seconds left and trailed West Liberty 48-42 at the break.
• West Liberty broke the game open in the first ten minutes of the second half, outscoring Seton Hill 31-7 to gain a 32 point advantage with 11:08 remaining in the game following a layup by Korte that was assisted by Rasile.
• Lanyc Shuler gave the Hilltoppers their largest lead of the game at 98-59, a 39 point lead with 2:33 remaining following his pair of free throws.
• Grant Barnhart put WLU over the century mark with a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining in the game, securing a 34 point win with a score of 101-67.
• West Liberty shot 36-of-77 (46.8%) from the field, 12-of-37 (32.4%) from 3-point range, and 17-of-22 (77.3%) from the free throw line compared to 23-of-45 (51.1%) from the field, 4-of-16 (25.0%) from 3-point range, and 17-of-26 (65.4%) from the free throw line for Seton Hill.
• The Griffins won the battle on the boards 37-33 while the Hilltoppers converted 34 SHU turnovers into 45 points. The Black & Gold also held a 52-29 advantage in bench points and assisted on 27-of-36 made baskets.
• Led by John Korte with a game-high 17 points, six Hilltoppers scored in double figures on the night.
• West Liberty had six players knock down a 3-pointer in the win, led by Spadafora and Montague with three apiece.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
John Korte: 17 points, 7-of-7 free throws, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Alek West: 15 points, 7-of-9 field goals, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Christian Montague: 11 points, 3-of-6 3-pointers, 6 assists, 5 steals, 3 rebounds
Dante Spadafora: 11 points, 3-of-7 3-pointers, 5 steals, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Finley Woodward: 11 points, 5-of-9 field goals, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

POST GAME INTERVIEW

 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will remain on the hilltop for their third consecutive home game to open the season as they host Chestnut Hill on Wednesday night. The Hilltoppers and Griffins are set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off in the ASRC.