West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 2 West Liberty University men's basketball team improved to 6-0 on the season on Wednesday evening, defeating West Virginia Wesleyan 125-69. The Hilltoppers used a 77 point second half to cruise to their second win of 50 or more points this year and their highest point total of 2023-24.

QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: No. 2 West Liberty 125, West Virginia Wesleyan 69
Team Records: No. 2 West Liberty 6-0 (2-0 MEC), West Virginia Wesleyan 1-6 (0-3 MEC)
Attendance: 867
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ben Sarson set the tone for the offense on the night when he connected on a 3-pointer off an assist from Christian Montague, giving West Liberty the first points of the game. West Virginia Wesleyan briefly tied the game at five apiece, however a free throw by Zach Rasile gave the Hilltoppers the lead for good with 16:52 remaining in the first half.
• A layup by Sarson capped a 9-0 scoring run and pushed the lead out to double digits for the first time in the game at 22-11 with 12:04 left in the half.
• After WLU gained a 13 point advantage, WVWC responded with a 9-2 scoring run of their own to get back within six at 28-22 with 8:03 to go in the opening half of play. Following that point the Black & Gold outscored Wesleyan 18-7 as a 3-pointer from Rasile gave them their largest lead of the half at 46-29 with 2:04 left on the clock. A pair of free throws by Dante Spadafora sent West Liberty into the halftime break with a 48-31 advantage.
• Sparked by a dunk from Sarson and capped by an and-one play by Lanyc Shuler with 15:57 left in the game, the Hilltoppers extended their lead to 61-40 on a 7-0 scoring run. With 3-pointers by Chaz Hinds and Montague, WLU continued to stretch the scoring run to 19-2 as the lead grew to 73-42 with 13:21 left in regulation.
• After the lead grew to 36 points following a pair of free throws by Sarson, West Virginia Wesleyan scored seven unanswered points to cut the lead down to 29 with 10:52 left in the game.
• A layup by Alek West gave the Black & Gold their fifth 100 point game of the season during the middle of a 22-4 rally that pushed the lead to 47 points at 104-57 with 6:46 left to play.
• The Hilltoppers ended the game on a 12-3 scoring run, with a 3-pointer by Grant Barnhart giving WLU their largest lead of the game at 58 points (124-66) with 1:42 left in the game.
• West Liberty shot 44-of-84 (52.4%) from the field, 13-of-40 (32.5%) from 3-point range, and 24-of-30 (80.0%) from the free throw line compared to 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the field, 6-of-20 (30.0%) from 3-point range, and 15-of-16 (93.8%) from the free throw line for West Virginia Wesleyan.
• The Hilltoppers won the battle on the boards 46-28 and turned 23 offensive rebounds into 24 second chance points. WLU also forced 33 Bobcats turnovers and converted them into 52 points off turnovers.
• Rasile scored a career-high 24 points to lead five players in double figures for the Black & Gold.
• West Liberty had eight players knock down a 3-pointer in the win, led by Rasile with three while Hinds, Sarson, and Montague each connected on two from deep.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Zach Rasile: 24 points, 3-of-4 3-pointers, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Ben Sarson: 18 points, 7-of-11 field goals, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
Alek West: 15 points, 6-of-11 field goals, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Lanyc Shuler: 15 points, 5-of-8 field goals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE VS. WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN (HEAD COACH BEN HOWLETT AND ZACH RASILE) 


UP NEXT
West Liberty will play their first road MEC contest of the year on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Davis & Elkins. The Hilltoppers and the Senators are set for a 4 p.m. tip-off inside the McDonnell Center in Elkins, West Virginia.