Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

West Liberty University Athletics

Scoreboard

University logo on load main
Finley Woodward vs. Shippensburg
Olivia Bernola

No. 25 Hilltoppers Host Frostburg State in Return to MEC Play

1/9/2024 3:03:00 PM

West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 25 West Liberty University men's basketball team looks to start off the 2024 calendar year the same way that 2023 ended, with a win inside the friendly confines of the ASRC when they host Frostburg State. The Hilltoppers and Bobcats will make their return to MEC play with 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.
#25 WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES
  • West Liberty enters Wednesday's game with a record of 9-3 (4-1 MEC) following a 90-79 home win over former MEC foe, UVA Wise on December 30.
  • In the return to Mountain East Conference action, the Hilltoppers are currently tied for second place in the league standings.
  • Through 12 games WLU is averaging 100.6 points, 38.1 rebounds, 24.2 assists, 13.1 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 47.3 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from 3-point range, and 72.8 percent from the free throw line.
  • The Hilltoppers lead NCAA Division II in assists per game (24.2) and 3-point attempts per game (34.7). They also rank second in bench points per game (46.17), 3-pointers per game (12.2), and turnover margin (+10.4), and rank third in assist/turnover ratio (1.95), scoring offense (100.6), and turnovers forced per game (22.83).
  • Joining the Hilltoppers in the top-4 scoring offenses in DII are three teams with ties back to the hilltop and their unique style of play. Gannon (110.6 ppg) is led by Jordan Fee who played at WLU from 2010-12, Nova Southeastern (104.9 ppg) is led by former WLU head coach Jim Crutchfield who was on the sidelines from 2004-17, and Coker (97.1 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 (416-53, .887) and have the best home winning percentage (227-10, .958). The Hilltoppers have won 27 consecutive games inside the ASRC dating back to January 22, 2022.
  • West Liberty fell to No. 25 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll on Tuesday afternoon after being idle at No. 22 last week.
  • A total of four players for the Hilltoppers are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Christian Montague with 13.4 points and John Korte with 11.9 points per game, while Zach Rasile and Chaz Hinds add 11.7 and 11.5 points per game respectively. Montague and Rasile each have a pair of games with 20 or more points in 2023-24.
  • Hinds, who ranks fourth in the MEC in total 3-pointers (29) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.42), has knocked down 29-of-73 shots from deep for 39.7 percent. Montague (27-of-56) and Spadafora (26-of-56) are both shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 48.2 and 46.4 percent of their respective shot attempts.
  • The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 803 consecutive games, a streak dating back to November 14, 1999. In their last outing against UVA Wise, they reached double digit made 3-pointers for the ninth time this season with ten made shots.
  • Ben Sarson and Alek West lead WLU on the glass, securing 4.7 and 4.6 rebounds per game. The pair has each grabbed four or more boards on eight occasions.
  • Montague ranks second in the MEC dishing out 61 total assists and is third with an average of 5.1 assists per game. Montague has tallied five or more assists in eight games, including a season high of seven on three occasions.
  • West's 3.45 assist/turnover ratio ranks ninth in DII as he has dished out 38 assists compared to only 11 turnovers. Montague also ranks 13th nationally with a 3.21 assist/turnover ratio, totaling 61 assists compared to 19 turnovers.
  • The WLU defense is spearheaded by Spadafora who leads the MEC and ranks 17th with 2.50 steals per game and 22nd with 30 total steals. Montague is another player to watch, ranking second in both steals per game (2.25) and total steals (27). Montague has posted nine multi-steal games while Spadafora has notched eight.
  • Sarson leads the team with 12 total blocked shots, averaging 1.0 per game this season. He has recorded four games with two or more blocks.
  • Ben Howlett is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 170-28 (.859) with the Hilltoppers. He is tied for the best winning percentage of coaches with a minimum of five years of experience across all NCAA divisions, joined by his predecessor Jim Crutchfield (current head coach at Nova Southeastern) who is 506-83 (.859).
FROSTBURG STATE STORYLINES
  • Frostburg State enters Wednesday's game with a record of 1-11 (1-5 MEC) and looks to snap a 7-game losing streak following an 80-70 home loss to Bowie State on December 31.
  • In the return to Mountain East Conference action, the Bobcats are currently tenth place in the league standings.
  • Through 12 games FSU is averaging 71.5 points, 36.7 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 7.1 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting the ball 38.8 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from 3-point range, and 68.8 percent from the free throw line.
  • A trio of Bobcats are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Logan Lewis with 12.6 points, while JayShaun Freeman and Robby Williams add 11.4 and 10.0 points per game respectively. Lewis and Williams have each scored 20 or more points on three occasions while Freeman and Zane McCarty have once.
  • Williams, who is 18-of-52 for 34.6 percent, and Freeman, who is 19-of-63 for 30.2 percent, are the top two shooters from beyond the arc for the Bobcats. Williams connected on a season-high of six made 3-pointers against Pitt-Johnstown, and Freeman made a season-high of five from deep against Shepherd.
  • Koby Baptiste leads FSU on the glass with 6.7 rebounds per game. He has a pair of double-doubles after securing double-digit boards in three contests.
  • Lewis, Cole Harshman, and Jaylon Johnson are the facilitators of the Frostburg State offense, as they each average 1.3 assists per game. Johnson has notched a season-high of four assists twice, while Lewis and Harshman have done so once.
  • Harshman has posted a team-best 2.33 assist/turnover ratio with 14 assists compared to only six turnovers, and Johnson has a 2.00 assist/turnover ratio with 16 assists and eight turnovers.
  • On the defensive side of the ball, Lewis leads the team with 1.1 steals per game while McCarty and Williams follow close behind with 1.00 steal per game. Lewis secured a season-high of four steals against Shepherd.
  • With a total of ten blocked shots this season, Sebastian Gahse has been Frostburg State's rim protector, averaging 0.8 blocks per game. He has recorded a pair of blocks in four games this year.
  • Zack Thomsen is in his first season as the head coach at Frostburg State, posting a record of 1-11 during his time with the Bobcats. In his eighth season overall as a collegiate head coach, he spent seven prior seasons at SUNY Delhi and has compiled a career record of 124-89.
SERIES HISTORY
  • West Liberty leads the all-time series 14-0.
  • The Hilltoppers won their eighth straight game in the series as MEC foes in a 106-90 win inside Bobcat Arena in Frostburg, Maryland, on February 15, 2023.
  • Finley Woodward scored 14 points in the win on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor, and added four rebounds, three assists, and one blocked shot.
Print Friendly Version