Athens, W.Va. – For the second consecutive game the No. 20 West Liberty University men's basketball team built another large first half lead and had to fight off their opponents' comeback attempts in the second half as they defeated (RV) Concord 91-79 on Wednesday night. The Hilltoppers led by as many as 21 in the opening half before seeing their lead slip to two midway through the second. The Black & Gold secured the win with a 17-8 scoring run in the final five minutes of the game.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: No. 20 West Liberty 91, (RV) Concord 79
Team Records: No. 20 West Liberty 12-3 (7-1 MEC), (RV) Concord 9-3 (5-3 MEC)
Attendance: 454
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Concord held their only lead of the game after back-to-back jumpers gave them a 6-4 lead with 16:52 remaining in the first half, however Ben Sarson sparked a 12-0 scoring run with a 3-pointer for West Liberty to build a 16-6 lead with 14:16 left in the opening half.
• After the Mountain Lions cut the lead down to eight points the Hilltoppers went on an 8-0 scoring run capped by a jumper by Lanyc Shuler to give them a 30-14 lead with 8:25 on the clock.
• A pair of free throws by Darren Fergus pushed the lead to 20 and a possession later a jumper by Shuler gave WLU their largest lead of the game at 46-25 with three minutes remaining in the first half. CU ended the first on an 8-1 scoring run to cut the lead to 47-33 at the break.
• Concord's scoring run extended to 12-1 in the opening minute of the second half as the West Liberty lead was trimmed down to ten (47-37) before John Korte and Kyler Daugustino connected on quick back-to-back baskets to stall the momentum. Sarson added another jumper to push the lead back to 16 points (53-37) with 18 minutes remaining in the game.
• The Mountain Lions used a 13-2 scoring run to get within five points (55-50) with 13:55 remaining in the game, the closest they had been since the opening minutes of the contest.
• As West Liberty's lead dwindled in the second half, Concord came within two points on two occasions, however after the Mountain Lions cut the lead to 65-63 the Hilltoppers started to swing the momentum back in their direction with a 9-2 scoring run to push the lead back to 74-65 with 6:49 left on the clock.
• After CU clawed back with three points (74-71) one final time, Sarson turned the tides for good with a 3-pointer that allowed the Hilltoppers to end the game on a 17-8 scoring run the final five minutes of the game.
• West Liberty shot 30-of-71 (42.3%) from the field, 7-of-24 (29.2%) from 3-point range, and 24-of-26 (92.3%) from the free throw line compared to 28-of-63 (44.4%) from the field, 3-of-16 (18.8%) from 3-point range, and 20-of-26 (76.9%) from the free throw line for Concord.
• Facing one of the top 3-point field goal defenses in the county, the Hilltoppers were held below 30.0 percent from beyond the arc for just the second time this season as they made a season low of seven 3-pointers, 7-of-24 (29.2%).
• WLU saw five players knock down a shot from beyond the arc, led by Christian Montague and Sarson who each connected on two.
• WLU shot better than 90.0 percent from the charity stripe for the second consecutive game, combining to shoot 43-of-47 (91.5%) in their last two outings.
• Tying for a game-high and season-high of eight rebounds, Alek West helped West Liberty outrebound DII's top team on the glass 46-34.
• West Liberty held an advantage in points off turnovers (16-14), second chance points (20-8), and bench points (37-22) while the Mountain Lions held the edge in points in the paint (46-42) and fast break points (13-8).
• West Liberty saw four players score in double figures, led by Sarson with 17 points and Montague with 13 points.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Ben Sarson: 17 points, 6-of-12 field goals, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal
Christian Montague: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
Kyler Daugustino: 10 points, 4-of-4 free throws, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Lanyc Shuler: 10 points, 4-of-4 free throws, 2 steals, 1 rebound
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will return home to the hilltop on Saturday, January 20, when they host (RV) Glenville State. The Hilltoppers and Pioneers are set for a 4 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC.