Fairmont, W.Va. – The No. 10 West Liberty University men's basketball team stormed back from a 15-point deficit to take down No. 11 Fairmont State 81-77 on Saturday at Joe Retton Arena.

The Hilltoppers (21-3, 15-2 MEC) found themselves trailing 41-29 at the half but turned the game around with a dominant second-half performance.

Second-Half Surge

Coming out of the locker room, West Liberty erupted on a 16-3 run, taking their first lead at 45-44 with 14:28 remaining on a basket and foul by Vadim Clanet.

Down 57-54 with just over 10 minutes left, the Hilltoppers responded with a 10-0 run, fueled by clutch three-pointers from JJ Harper and Dante Spadafora, to seize a 64-57 advantage. West Liberty knocked down nine threes in the second half and finished the game with 13 triples.

Balanced Scoring Leads the Way

Five Hilltoppers scored in double figures:

• JJ Harper and Vadim Clanet led the way with 17 points each, with Clanet draining four three-pointers, while Harper went 3-for-4 from deep.

• Kyler D'Augustino chipped in 12 points, including four clutch free throws in the final minute.

• Lanyc Shuler added 11 points, and Kameron Tinsley finished with 10.

First Place in the MEC

With the victory, West Liberty moves into sole possession of first place in the Mountain East Conference, while Fairmont State drops to second place.

Up Next

West Liberty returns home to host Glenville State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m..

Game Details

No. 10 West Liberty 81, No. 11 Fairmont State 77
Joe Retton Arena
Attendance: 1,436
WLU: 21-3, 15-2 | FSU: 20-4, 14-3