West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 2 West Liberty University men's basketball team looks to regroup after their first loss of the season on Wednesday night in Charleston, as they host West Virginia State on Saturday evening inside the ASRC. The Hilltoppers and Yellow Jackets are set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on the hilltop.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Academic Sports & Recreation Complex "ASRC")
• Tip-Off: 7:30 P.M.
• SAAC Food Drive: The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SSAC) will continue their food drive at Saturday's basketball games. Donations can be any canned or non-perishable items and will go to the West Liberty University food pantry that all WLU students have access to. Drop off boxes will be at all ticketed entrances to the ASRC. An Amazon wish list to donate items is also attached above.

#2 WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a record of 7-1 (3-1 MEC) following a 92-83 loss on the road at (RV) Charleston on Wednesday night.
• The Hilltoppers lead NCAA Division II in assists per game (23.8), scoring margin (+28.9), 3-point attempts per game (35.6), and turnover margin (+15.1). They also rank second in assist/turnover ratio (2.21), bench points per game (48.38), and turnovers forced per game (25.88), and third in scoring offense (103.4) and steals per game (15.1).
• Joining the Hilltoppers in the top-4 scoring offenses in DII and all averaging more than 100 points per game, are three teams with ties back to the hilltop and their unique style of play. Gannon (117.3 ppg) is led by Jordan Fee who played at WLU from 2010-12, Nova Southeastern (109.8 ppg) is led by former WLU head coach Jim Crutchfield who was on the sidelines from 2004-17, and Coker (103.0 ppg) who is led by Mike Lamberti who played for WLU from 2011-16 and was an assistant coach from 2018-23.
• Since 2010 the Black & Gold have posted the best overall winning percentage in NCAA basketball (414-51, .890) 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 third consecutive week.
• Through eight games WLU is averaging 103.4 points, 37.9 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 15.1 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 48.1 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from 3-point range, and 72.5 percent from the free throw line.
• A total of five players for the Hilltoppers are averaging double figures in scoring following the first eight games of the season, led by Christian Montague with 13.3 points and John Korte with 13.0 points per game. Zach Rasile adds 12.6 points per game while Dante Spadafora and Chaz Hinds each score 10.5 and 10.4 points per game respectively.
• Montague is shooting at a 50.0 percent clip from beyond the arc as he has connected on 17-of-34 shots. Spadafora and Hinds have each knocked down a team-high 18 shots from deep while shooting 47.4 and 40.0 percent respectively.
• WLU has made a 3-pointer in 799 consecutive games, a streak dating back to November 14, 1999.
• Alek West is averaging a team-high 4.6 rebounds per game this year while Ben Sarson and Woodward add 4.5 and 4.3 rebounds per game.
• Montague ranks 14^th in DII having dished out 45 assists and is 20^th in the country with 5.6 assists per game. West is second on the team with 3.3 assists per game.
• West's 4.33 assist/turnover ratio ranks sixth in DII as he has passed out 26 assists compared to only six turnovers. Montague also ranks 14^th nationally with a 3.46 assist/turnover ratio, totaling 45 assists compared to 13 turnovers.
• Defensively WLU is led by Spadafora who ranks second in DII with 27 steals and fourth nationally with 3.38 steals per game. Montague and West add 2.1 and 1.8 steals per game respectively.
• Ben Sarson has made it difficult for opponents to get their shot attempts off this season, tallying 1.4 blocks per game. He has had a block in six of the eight games this season, including two or more in four of the last five outings.
• Ben Howlett is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 168-26 (.866) 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 STATE STORYLINES

• West Virginia State enters Saturday's game with a record of 5-3 (3-2 MEC) following a 96-89 win at home against Wheeling on Wheeling, marking their fourth consecutive victory.
• The Yellow Jackets rank within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in four statistical categories, ranking sixth in free throw attempts per game (27.5), 11^th in free throws made per game (19.6), 16^th in blocks per game (5.2), 16^th in rebounds per game (42.00), and 21^st in defensive rebounds per game (29.38).
• In the first eight games of the season WVSU is averaging 79.5 points, 42.0 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 9.0 steals, and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting the ball 42.9 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent from the free throw line.
• Anthony Pittman leads a trio of players who average double figures in scoring for West Virginia State with 16.3 points per game. He is joined by Nate Mims and Arthur Cox who average 11.4 and 11.1 points per game respectively.
• Miguel Martinez and Mims are the top 3-point shooters on the team as they have both knocked down 11 shots from beyond the arc. Martinez is shooting 50.0 percent and Mims is 33.3 percent from deep.
• Pittman leads the Yellow Jackets on the glass, grabbing a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game and has secured one double-double this year in a win over Fairmont State, a 28 point and 15 rebound performance. He also leads the team by dishing out 2.4 assists and collecting 2.3 steals per game on the defensive side of the ball. At the rim he records 1.0 block per game.
• Mims is the rim protector for State, leading the team with 1.5 blocks per game. He has posted a block in seven of the eight games this season and has had two in three consecutive games.
• Bryan Poore is in his 25^th season as the head coach at West Virginia State, posting a record of 400-305 during his time with the Yellow Jackets. Now in his 26^th season overall as a collegiate head coach, making a prior stop at Charleston for one season, he holds a career record of 412-319.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty holds a 58-51 advantage in the all-time series and has won 23 of the past 26 meetings since 2010-11.
• The Hilltoppers secured the season sweep in the last match-up, defeating the Yellow Jackets 102-97 in Institute, West Virginia, on February 1, 2023.
• Christian Montague scored 16 points and dished out five assists in the win while Ben Sarson and Zach Rasile added nine points apiece.