Frostburg, Md. – For the second consecutive game the (RV) West Liberty University men's basketball team used an early scoring run and led from start to finish as they held off Frostburg State for a 90-80 win on Wednesday night. The Hilltoppers burst out of the gates with a 15-4 lead and led by as many as 25 in the opening half before they held off a second half rally by the Bobcats that saw them outscore the Black & Gold 50-41 in the final 20 minutes of play and trim the lead to single digits in the closing minutes.

QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: (RV) West Liberty 90, Frostburg State 80
Team Records: (RV) West Liberty 18-5 (12-3 MEC), Frostburg State 2-21 (2-14 MEC)
Attendance: 327
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• With a 3-pointer by Dante Spadafora off an assist from Alek West, the Hilltoppers forced the Bobcats to call a timeout just three and a half minutes into the contest as West Liberty built a 15-4 to open the match-up.
• After a scoring drought of just over two minutes, John Korte sparked a 10-3 scoring run that he capped off with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 20 (27-7) with 13:14 left in the opening half as Frostburg State was forced to call their second timeout of the game.
• After a mini 6-1 scoring run by FSU trimmed the Hilltopper lead to 17 points, the Black & Gold responded with an 8-0 scoring run of their own which was capped off by a 3-pointer by Zach Rasile off an assist by Christian Montague to give WLU their largest lead of the game at 25 points (40-15) with 6:55 to play in the half.
• Frostburg State capitalized on a West Liberty scoring drought of more than three minutes as a 9-0 run brought the Bobcats within 16 points (40-24) before Finley Woodward momentarily stalled their momentum with a jumper with 3:34 left on the clock in the first.
• FSU fought back within as many as 14 in the closing minutes of the first half prior to WLU ending the first 20 minutes of play on a 7-2 run as Korte sank a pair of free throws with ten seconds remaining to push the lead to 49-30 at the break.
• An 8-3 run for Frostburg State to open the second half brought the Bobcats within 14 points once again at 52-38 with 16:39 to play in the game, however West Liberty responded with six unanswered as a layup by Rasile pushed the lead back to 20 (58-38) with 14:47 on the clock.
• A 13-2 scoring run for the Bobcats cut the Hilltopper lead to single digits for the first time since the opening minutes of the contest as West Liberty called a timeout with 10:49 to play and held onto a 62-54 advantage.
• With the momentum swinging in their favor, FSU cut the WLU lead down to as much as six points before a 3-pointer by Rasile stalled the momentum and the teams began to trade scores on 11 consecutive possessions. During the back-and-forth stretch the Hilltoppers managed to extend their lead back out to double digits as a layup by Woodward made it an 81-70 lead with 5:32 to play.
• One final surge for Frostburg State saw an 8-4 run bring them back with in seven (85-78) with 2:30 remaining in the game, however West Liberty withstood the test and scored five unanswered on 5-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe to push the lead to 12 once again before the Bobcats closed the scoring in the game with a dunk with 22 seconds remaining, making it a 90-80 final in favor of the Hilltoppers.
• West Liberty shot 29-of-75 (38.7%) from the field, 8-of-40 (20.0%) from 3-point range, and 24-of-32 (75.0%) from the free throw line compared to 26-of-68 (38.2%) from the field, 8-of-26 (30.8%) from 3-point range, and 20-of-25 (80.0%) from the free throw line for Frostburg State.
• Five WLU players knocked down a 3-pointer in the win, led by Rasile, Spadafora, and Korte with two apiece.
• The Hilltoppers held the advantage in points in the paint (40-34), points off turnovers (22-11), second chance points (8-2), and bench points (35-33) while the Bobcats held the edge in fast break points (18-10).
• Leading five players in double figures for West Liberty, Korte reached the 20-point mark for the second time this season with a game-high 21 in the victory while Woodward added a career-high of 19 points.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
John Korte: 21 points, 7-of-7 free throws, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
Finley Woodward: 19 points, 8-of-11 field goals, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Dante Spadafora: 13 points, 4-of-8 field goals, 2 steals, 1 rebound
 
UP NEXT
(RV) West Liberty will return home on Saturday, February 17, when they take on Fairmont State. The Hilltoppers and Falcons are slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC.