West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 2 West Liberty University men's basketball team will continue Mountain East Conference play on Saturday afternoon with a match-up against a fellow undefeated team in the conference standings, Davis & Elkins. The Hilltoppers will look to remain perfect as they tip-off against the Senators at 4 p.m. inside the McDonnell Center in Elkins, West Virginia.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Elkins, W.Va. (McDonnell Center)
• Tip-Off: 4 P.M.

#2 WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a record of 6-0 (2-0 MEC) following a 125-69 win over West Virginia Wesleyan in the ASRC on Wednesday evening.
• The Hilltoppers lead NCAA Division II in assists per game (26.7), bench points per game (53.33), scoring margin (+39.0), 3-point field goal attempts per game (37.5), turnover margin (+17.0), and turnovers forced per game (28.17). They also rank second nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.39), scoring offense (108.8), steals per game (17.2), and 3-point field goals per game (13.0).
• Since 2010 the Black & Gold have posted the best overall winning percentage in NCAA basketball (413-50, .892) and have the best home winning percentage (224-10, .957).
• West Liberty is currently ranked No. 2 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week.
• Through six games WLU is averaging 108.8 points, 40.2 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 17.2 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 49.5 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from 3-point range, and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.
• A total of six players for the Hilltoppers are averaging double figures in scoring following the first six games of the season, led by Zach Rasile with 13.2 points and John Korte with 13.0 points per game. Christian Montague and Dante Spadafora both add 10.8 points while Ben Sarson and Finley Woodward are scoring 10.2 and 10.0 points per game respectively. With a new career-high, Rasile notched the first game of 20 or more points by a WLU player this season when he scored 24 against WVWC on Wednesday.
• Spadafora's 53.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc ranks him 14^th in DII as he has knocked down 14-of-28 attempts. Rasile is second on the team with 13 baskets from beyond the arc this season, shooting 13-of-33 for 39.4 percent.
• Alek West is averaging a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game this year after collecting seven boards in the win over WVWC, his most during his time on the hilltop. Korte and Sarson each add 4.2 rebounds per game.
• Montague ranks 11^th in DII having dished out 6.2 assists per game and is 17^th in the country with 37 total assists. West is second on the team with 4.0 assists per game.
• West's 6.00 assist/turnover ratio ranks second in DII as he has passed out 24 assists compared to only four turnovers. Montague also ranks 15^th nationally with a 3.70 assist/turnover ratio, totaling 37 assists compared to ten turnovers.
• Defensively WLU is led by Spadafora who ranks fourth in DII with3.33 steals per game and 20 total steals. Montague and West add 2.5 and 2.2 steals per game respectively.
• Ben Sarson has made it difficult for opponents to get their shot attempts off this season, tallying 1.3 blocks per game. He has had a block in five of the six games this season, including two in each of the last three outings.
• Ben Howlett is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 167-25 (.870) with the Hilltoppers. He holds the best winning percentage of coaches with a minimum of five years of experience across all NCAA divisions.

DAVIS & ELKINS STORYLINES

• Davis & Elkins enters Saturday's game with a record of 5-2 (3-0 MEC) following an 81-60 win on the road at Wheeling on Wednesday evening.
• The Senators rank 13^th in NCAA Division II with their defense holding opponents to only 38.0 percent shooting from the field and are 24^th nationally with 42.29 rebounds per game.
• In the first seven games of the season D&E is averaging 79.3 points, 42.3 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 5.7 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting the ball 44.6 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range, and 74.6 percent from the free throw line.
• The duo of Sam Rolle IV and Tristan Starks lead the team in scoring averaging 14.7 and 13.1 points per game respectively. Both players currently have one game of 20 or more points this season as Rolle IV scored 21 against Frostburg State and Starks scored 24 against Ohio Dominican.
• Starks is the top 3-point shooter for the Senators, knocking down 20-of-41 attempts this season at a 48.8 percent clip.
• Charleston Ponds leads Davis & Elkins on the board as he has averaged 7.3 rebounds per game. Another player to watch on the glass is Clarens Pierre who has grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game and is 23^rd in DII with 3.43 offensive rebounds per game.
• Rolle IV is the floor general for the Senators, dishing out 40 assists thus far on the year which ranks 12^th nationally and is averaging 5.7 assists per game which ranks 18^th in DII.
• Defensively Dontrell Jenkins and Starks both average a team-best 1.0 steal per game, while Pierre has been the rim protector. Pierre has recorded 15 blocked shots this year, which is 13^th most in the country and is averaging 2.1 blocks per game which ranks 22^nd.
• Daniel Mondragon is in his fifth season as the head coach at Davis & Elkins, posting a career record of 44-65 during his time with the Senators. Since the start of the 2022-23 season his team has a record of 24-13 (.649) compared to 20-52 (.278) the three years prior.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty leads the all-time series 84-29 and has won 14 consecutive meetings since 2010-11.
• In the last match-up, the Hilltoppers defeated the Senators 104-69 in the ASRC on January 25,2023.
• Dante Spadafora scored 12 points in the last match, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from 3-point range while dishing out four assists and collecting three steals. Alek West added 11 points with three made baskets from beyond the arc while also notching five assists in the win.