West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 20 West Liberty University men's basketball team carried its hot shooting from this past weekend into Wednesday's 112-76 win over Salem inside the ASRC. The Hilltoppers improved to 10-0 in their home arena in 2023-24 as they became only the second team in all divisions of NCAA men's basketball to make 20 or more 3-pointers in multiple games this year.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: No. 20 West Liberty 112, Salem 76
Team Records: No. 20 West Liberty 14-3 (8-1 MEC), Salem 5-12
Attendance: 561
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• West Liberty started quick on Wednesday night as a layup by Kyler Daugustino sparked a 10-2 scoring run in the opening minutes and his second basket of the game pushed the lead to 15-4, forcing a Salem timeout with 17:17 remaining in the first half.
• While a 3-pointer by Zach Rasile was able to extend the lead to 16 points (32-16) with 12:38 to play, Salem responded with a 9-3 scoring run of their own to cut the deficit back to ten with 10:16 on the clock.
• The Hilltoppers had an answer for the dwindling lead as Dante Spadafora connected on his first 3-pointer of the night to spark a 12-1 run that saw Daugustino push the lead to 21 (47-26) with a fastbreak layup with 5:49 remaining till the break.
• With four 3-pointers in the final five minutes of the first half, West Liberty continued to grow the advantage and led by 26 at halftime as John Korte's layup off an assist from Christian Montague made it 67-41.
• The second half started the same as the first half with a layup by Daugustino and Montague followed with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 31 (72-41) just over a minute in.
• Salem momentarily responded to cut the deficit down to 27, however the next response by the Hilltoppers gave them their largest lead of the game. A 26-4 scoring run starting with a 3-pointer by Ben Sarson with 16:55 to play and capped by another basket from beyond the arc by Rasile encompassed just over six minutes of game time as WLU went up 98-49 with 10:53 left to play. The scoring run saw the Black & Gold connect on six shots from deep.
• Rasile gave West Liberty their tenth game of 100 or more points this season with a layup with 10:32 left on the clock.
• The Tigers used a 12-2 scoring run to cut the Hilltopper lead down to 39 points (102-63) with 5:44 remaining in the game. Chaz Hinds momentarily stalled the scoring run by knocking down West Liberty's 20^th 3-pointer of the game, however, Salem continued to extend the run to 22-6 as WLU's lead was cut to 32 points (106-74) with 2:30 to play.
• The Hilltoppers ended the game with a 6-2 run and the final four points of the contest coming on a layup and dunk by Finley Woodward.
• West Liberty shot 42-of-76 (55.3%) from the field, 20-of-46 (43.5%) from 3-point range, and 8-of-16 (50.0%) from the free throw line compared to 27-of-57 (47.4%) from the field, 4-of-16 (25.0%) from 3-point range, and 18-of-24 (75.0%) from the free throw line for Salem.
• WLU saw six players knock down a shot from beyond the arc and were led by Sarson and Spadafora with five apiece. As a team the Hilltoppers tied a season-high 20 made 3-pointers, matching the output in their previous outing against Glenville State.
• Joining Grinnell College, an NCAA Division III school located in Iowa, West Liberty became only the second school in all divisions of NCAA men's basketball to knock down 20 or more 3-pointers in multiple games in 2023-24.
• As DII's leader in assists per game this season, the Hilltoppers dished out 30 or more assists for the fifth time this season. Six players notched four or more assists in the game, led by Woodward and Darren Fergus with five apiece.
• WLU held the advantage in points off turnovers (31-12), second chance points (18-10), fast break points (17-10), and bench points (48-16). The teams were even with 40 points in the paint apiece.
• West Liberty saw five players score in double figures, led by Sarson who with 23 points in the win, scored 20 or more points for just the second time this season.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Ben Sarson: 23 points, 5-of-7 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
Kyler Daugustino: 17 points, 8-of-8 field goals, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Dante Spadafora: 15 points, 5-of-7 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Chaz Hinds: 14 points, 4-of-9 3-pointers, 1 block
Zach Rasile: 11 points, 3-of-8 3-pointers, 4 assists, 3 rebounds

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (DANTE SPADAFORA, HEAD COACH BEN HOWLETT, AND KYLER DAUGUSTINO)

 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will close their 3-game homestand with a return to MEC action on Sunday, January 28, when they welcome Ohio County foe Wheeling to the hilltop. The Hilltoppers and Cardinals are set for a 4 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC.