Buckhannon, W.Va. – The (RV) West Liberty University men's basketball team led from start to finish on Saturday evening as they jumped out to a 15-2 lead and never looked back in a 101-66 win at West Virginia Wesleyan. The Hilltoppers secured the season sweep of the Bobcats as they used efficient shooting in the first half to jump out to a 27-point halftime lead, knocking down shots at more than a 60 percent clip from the field and beyond the arc in the opening half. While the shooting cooled in the opening of the second half, they picked it up again in the final eight minutes by shooting 11-of-14 during a 28-13 run to close the game.

QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: (RV) West Liberty 101, West Virginia Wesleyan 66
Team Records: (RV) West Liberty 17-5 (11-3 MEC), West Virginia Wesleyan 2-20 (1-13 MEC)
Attendance: 80
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• West Liberty got things rolling early in the contest as they opened the game on a 15-2 scoring run where they were 6-of-6 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in the first 3:10 of game time.
• Moments after West Virginia Wesleyan was able to cut the deficit to ten points (20-10) with 13:19 left in the first, Zach Rasile connected on his first two 3-pointers of the game on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead back to 26-12.
• It wasn't until the 8:27 mark in the first half when West Liberty missed their first shot from beyond the arc as they started the game 7-of-7 from deep, which included Montague and Rasile each making their first three attempts.
• A layup by Kyler Daugustino with 6:51 to play in the opening half sparked a 20-4 scoring run which saw the Hilltoppers build their lead to 27 points at the break (54-27) as Darren Fergus cashed in on a fastbreak layup to end the scoring with 55 seconds on the clock.
• In the first half the Black & Gold shot 21-of-33 (63.6%) from the field and 10-of-16 (62.5%) from 3-point range.
• West Virginia Wesleyan opened the second half with the first five points before Chaz Hinds connected on his second 3-pointer of the game to spark a quick 7-0 scoring run where a jumper by Finley Woodward extended WLU's lead to 29 points (61-32) with 16:30 to play.
• A 12-4 scoring run for the Bobcats cut the lead down to 20 points (73-53) following a made layup with 8:01 left to play before John Korte added a layup off an assist from Montague to spark an 18-5 scoring entering the under five media timeout with 4:02 play and leading 91-58.
• The scoring run extend to 28-13 in those final four minutes of play as the Hilltoppers ended the game shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range in the final eight minutes of the contest as obtained their 12^th game of 100 or more points with a layup by Lanyc Shuler with 47 seconds to play.
• West Liberty shot 40-of-76 (52.6%) from the field, 18-of-42 (42.9%) from 3-point range, and 3-of-5 (60.0%) from the free throw line compared to 27-of-58 (46.6%) from the field, 5-of-14 (35.7%) from 3-point range, and 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the free throw line for West Virginia Wesleyan.
• The 18 made 3-pointers were the 17^th time this season that WLU made ten or more from beyond the arc and the seventh time they have 15 or more. The Hilltoppers were led by Montague and Rasile who knocked down five apiece while Hinds connected on four.
• West Liberty held the advantage in points in the paint (42-40), points off turnovers (18-13), second chance points (18-13), fast break points (20-6), and bench points (24-20).
• For the fourth time this season Montague reached the 20-point mark as he scored a game-high 21 points to lead six Hilltoppers in doubles figures in the win.
• Defensively, Hinds collected five steals while Rasile added two. It was the fourth time this season that Hinds notched multiple steals while Rasile has done so on six occasions.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Christian Montague: 21 points, 5-of-8 3-pointers, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
Zach Rasile: 17 points, 5-of-11 3-pointers, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Chaz Hinds: 16 points, 4-of-9 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 assist
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will remain on the road for next week's mid-week game as they travel to Frostburg State on Wednesday, February 14. The Hilltoppers and Bobcats are set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off inside Bobcat Arena in Frostburg, Maryland.