West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 2 West Liberty University men's basketball team looks to remain perfect on the season following the Thanksgiving break as they host West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday evening. The Hilltoppers and Bobcats are set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Academic Sports & Recreation Complex "ASRC")
• Tip-Off: 7:30 P.M.

#2 WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Wednesday's game with a record of 5-0 (1-0 MEC) following a 109-84 win over Notre Dame in the conference opener last Tuesday night. The win helped the Hilltoppers remain a perfect 11-0 all-time in MEC openers.
• The Hilltoppers lead NCAA Division II in assists per game (26.0), scoring margin (+35.6), 3-point field goal attempts per game (37.0), and turnover margin (+16.2). They also rank second nationally in bench points per game (52.20), steals per game (17.2), 3-point field goals per game (13.0), and turnovers forced per game (27.20).
• Since 2010 the Black & Gold have posted the best overall winning percentage in NCAA basketball (412-50, .892) and have the best home winning percentage (223-10, .957).
• West Liberty enters the week ranked No. 2 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week.
• Through five games WLU is averaging 105.6 points, 39.0 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 17.2 steals, and 3.4 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 48.8 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from 3-point range, and 73.7 percent from the free throw line.
• A total of six players for the Hilltoppers are averaging double figures in scoring following the first five games of the season, led by John Korte with 13.0 points and Dante Spadafora with 11.2 points per game. Christian Montague and Zach Rasile both add 11.0 points while Chaz Hinds and Finley Woodward are each scoring 10.2 points per game.
• Spadafora's 56.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc ranks him 16^th in DII as he has knocked down 14-of-25 attempts. Montague, Hinds, and Rasile are tied for second on the team having each made ten 3-pointers this season.
• Korte is averaging a team-high 4.2 rebounds per game while Alek West adds 4.0 boards per game.
• Montague ranks 15^th in DII having dished out 6.0 assists per game and is 27^th in the country with 30 total assists. West is second on the team with 4.2 assists per game.
• West's 7.00 assist/turnover ratio ranks second in DII as he has passed out 21 assists compared to only three turnovers. Montague also ranks 13^th nationally with a 4.29 assist/turnover ratio, totaling 30 assists compared to only seven turnovers.
• Defensively WLU is led by Spadafora who ranks fourth in DII with 3.40 steals per game and is sixth in the country with 17 total steals. He has collected five steals in three games this season. Montague and West add 2.4 and 2.2 steals per game respectively.
• Ben Sarson has made it difficult for opponents to get their shot attempts off this season, tallying 1.2 blocks per game. He has had a block in four of the five games this season, including two in both of the last two outings against Salem and Notre Dame.
• Ben Howlett is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 166-25 (.869) with the Hilltoppers. He holds the best winning percentage of coaches with a minimum of five years of experience across all NCAA divisions.

WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN STORYLINES

• West Virginia Wesleyan enters Wednesday's game with a record of 1-5 (0-2 MEC) following an 86-83 home loss to Frostburg State last Tuesday.
• The Bobcats rank 16^th in NCAA Division II with 18.83 fastbreak points per game.
• In the first six games of the season WVWC is averaging 81.3 points, 35.5 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 5.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting the ball 42.6 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3-point range, and 75.5 percent from the free throw line.
• Deiker Padrino leads a trio of Wesleyan players in double figures, averaging 19.0 points per game, while Maxwell Harris and Alex Mirhosseini both add 11.5 points.
• Padrino is currently one of the top shooters from beyond the arc in DII, as he has knocked down 21-of-36 shot attempts for a 58.3 percent clip. He ranks 13^th nationally in both total 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal percentage and is 17^th in 3-pointers per game (3.50).
• Harris leads the Bobcats with 8.0 rebounds per game, reaching double figures twice. He has recorded one double-double, a 12 point and ten rebound outing against Fairmont State.
• Mirhosseini has been the floor general for the offense, dishing out 3.7 assists per game while posting a 1.38 assist/turnover ratio as he has totaled 22 assists compared to 16 turnovers.
• Defensively for WVWC, Padrino averages a team-high 2.0 steals while Mirhosseini has collected 1.0 steal per game.
• Derek Sloan is in his third season as the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan, posting a career record of 5-56 during his time with the Bobcats.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty leads the all-time series 76-67 and has won 25 of the last 26 meetings dating back to 2010-11.
• In the last match-up, the Hilltoppers won their sixth straight over the Bobcats with a 108-53 victory in Buckhannon, West Virginia, on January 28, 2023.
• Ben Sarson led the Hilltoppers with 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc in the last meeting, while Alek West added 12 points, and Christian Montague and Finley Woodward scored ten each.