Institute, W.Va. – The No. 17 West Liberty University men's basketball team saw the longest win streak in the MEC come to an end on Wednesday night at seven games as they fell 98-92 to West Virginia State. The Hilltoppers never led in the contest in the Walker Convocation Center as the Yellow Jackets started both the first and second halves on 11-2 and 11-3 scoring runs respectively to take control. WLU was able to claw back within single digits late and was within three in the closing seconds, but the potential game-tying 3-pointer bounced off the front of the rim with five seconds remaining.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: No. 17 West Liberty 92, West Virginia State 98
Team Records: No. 20 West Liberty 15-4 (9-2 MEC), West Virginia State 13-5 (9-3 MEC)
Attendance: 712
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• West Virginia State broke the game open early with an 11-2 scoring run in the first three minutes of game time. West Liberty was unable to reach double digits until the 12:07 mark in the game as Alek West scored a fastbreak layup to make it a 21-10 ball game. The Hilltoppers first 3-pointer of the game wasn't until a few minutes later when Dante Spadafora connected from distance to cut the WVSU lead to 26-15.
• The Yellow Jackets led by as many as 15 points (48-33) in the first half before Zach Rasile sparked an 8-2 scoring run that was capped by Chaz Hinds knocking down a shot from distance to cut the deficit to nine points (50-41) with 29 seconds left. State, however, pushed the lead back to double digits as they went 1-of-2 from the free throw line with less than a second remaining on the clock.
• Just like the first half, West Virginia State started strong and used an 11-3 scoring run to take their largest lead of the game at 18 points (62-44) with 15:22 left in the game. West Liberty, however, had an immediate response as Spadafora knocked down a 3-pointer to spark a 13-0 scoring run that was capped by a 3-pointer from West to cut the deficit to five points (62-57) with 11:09 remaining.
• Back-to-back layups by Kyler Daugustino and Darren Fergus cut the deficit to three points (64-61), before the Yellow Jackets extended their lead back to ten points on three occasions.
• Rasile ignited the final push for WLU with his fifth 3-pointer of the game with the clock ticking under three minutes to play and added a fastbreak layup just moments later off a steal and assist from John Korte to cut the deficit to three points (90-87). Three would be as close as the Hilltoppers would get as the potential game-tying 3-pointer fell short off the front iron of the rim with five seconds remaining.
• The Yellow Jackets shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes.
• West Liberty shot 34-of-76 (44.7%) from the field, 10-of-37 (27.0%) from 3-point range, and 14-of-21 (66.7%) from the free throw line compared to 30-of-61 (49.2%) from the field, 4-of-11 (36.4%) from 3-point range, and 34-of-40 (85.0%) from the free throw line for West Virginia State.
• For the 15^th time this season, WLU connected on double digit 3-pointers in the game as four players knocked down a shot from beyond the arc. Rasile led the way and tied a season-high of five made shots from distance while Hinds and Spadafora each made two. However, the Black & Gold's shooting percentage of 27.0 percent was a season-low mark.
• West Liberty was only the fourth team this season to out-rebound West Virginia State, doing so 41-39 and turning 17 offensive rebounds into 15 second chance points. WVSU had not lost the battle on the boards in a game since November 29 against Fairmont State.
• WLU held the advantage in points in the paint (46-42), points off turnovers (18-17), second chance points (15-8), fast break points (27-26), and bench points (45-28)
• Rasile reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season, leading four players in double figures on the night with 21 for WLU.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Zach Rasile: 21 points, 5-of-8 3-pointers, 1 assist
Alek West: 15 points, 5-of-8 field goals, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
John Korte: 12 points, 6-of-7 free throws, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, 1 block
Chaz Hinds: 10 points, 4-of-9 field goals, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will return to the hilltop for their first of two consecutive home games on Saturday, February 3, when they host (RV) Charleston. The Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles are set for 4 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC as they battle for the top spot in the MEC standings.