West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 3 West Liberty University men's basketball team will leave the hilltop for the first time this season as they are set to travel and face Salem on Saturday afternoon. The Hilltoppers and Tigers are set for a 4 p.m. tip-off inside the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Salem, W.Va. (T. Edward Davis Gymnasium)
• Tip-Off: 4 P.M.

#3 WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a record of 3-0 following an 86-58 home win over Chestnut Hill on Wednesday evening.
• The Hilltoppers lead NCAA Division II in assists per game (26.3) and turnover margin (+16.0). They rank second in bench points per game (54.00), scoring margin (+41.3), steals per game (16.0), 3-point attempts per game (38.3), and turnovers forced per game (26.67).
• Since 2010 the Black & Gold have posted the best overall winning percentage in NCAA basketball (410-50, .891) and have the best home winning percentage 222-10 (.957).
• West Liberty enters the week ranked at No. 3 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll and moved up to No. 1 in the D2CSC Media Poll, voted on by DII Sports Information Directors.
• Through three games WLU is averaging 102.7 points, 43.7 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 16.0 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 47.7 percent from the field, 32.2 percent from 3-point range, and 73.8 percent from the free throw line.
• A total of six players for the Hilltoppers are averaging double figures in scoring following the first three games of the season, led by John Korte with 13.7 points and Christian Montague with 12.0 points per game.
• Montague and Dante Spadafora are both shooting the ball over 50 percent from 3-point range as Montague has knocked down seven at a 58.3 percent rate from beyond the arc and Spadafora has connected on nine shots for a 56.3 percent average.
• In his first games in the Black & Gold, Korte added a team-high 5.0 rebounds to go along with 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.
• Montague has dished out a team-high 6.0 assists while adding 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
• Alek West currently leads all of NCAA Division II with an assist/turnover percentage of 15.00, dishing out 15 assists while only committing one turnover thus far this season.
• Defensively WLU is led by Spadafora with 3.3 steals per game while the trio of Ben Sarson, Korte, and West each average 0.7 blocks per game.
• Ben Howlett enters his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 164-25 (.868) with the Hilltoppers. He holds the best winning percentage of coaches with a minimum of five years of experience across all NCAA divisions.

SALEM STORYLINES

• Salem enters Saturday's game with a record of 1-2 following a 63-51 home loss to Seton Hill on Wednesday afternoon.
• In the first three games of the season Salem is averaging 75.3 points, 39.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 7.0 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting the ball 48.8 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from 3-point range, and 67.6 percent from the free throw line.
• The Tigers are led by a trio of players who average double figure points per game, as Ashraf Tchadouwa leads the team with 18.7 points while Jack Garrison IV averages 15.7 points and Ian Hardy averages 13.7 points per game.
• Garrison IV is the top scoring threat from beyond the arc for the Tigers, knocking down 11 3-pointers while shooting the ball 52.4 percent from deep.
• Tchadouwa is averaging a double-double, having posted one in each of the first three games this season as he also leads the team with 12.7 rebounds per game.
• Brandon Francois adds 8.7 points per game for Salem and leads the team with 3.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game.
• Tchadouwa has led the Tigers as a rim protector on the defense as well, averaging a team-high 1.3 blocks per game.
• Vincent Thibodeau is in his first season as the head coach at Salem with a career record of 1-2 during his time with the Tigers.

SERIES HISTORY

• Salem leads the all-time series 66-63, however West Liberty has won the past 13 meetings.
• The teams last played on November 20, 2019, inside the ASRC, as the Hilltoppers recorded a 117-67 win over the Tigers.