Wheeling, W.Va. – The No. 5 West Liberty University men's basketball team is set to battle Fairmont State in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship Game on Sunday at 4 p.m. at WesBanco Arena. The Toppers enter the game winners of 15 in a row.
This marks the Hilltoppers' ninth all-time appearance in the MEC title game and their seventh consecutive trip. They have claimed four tournament championships (2017, 2020, 2022, 2023). Meanwhile, the Falcons are making their fifth championship game appearance, holding a 1-3 record in previous trips. Their lone title came in 2021 with a 102-99 victory over the Hilltoppers.
No program has won more MEC Tournament games than West Liberty. Following their semifinal win over Concord, the Hilltoppers improved to 25-7 in tournament play. Ben Howlett holds a 17-4 record in MEC tournament games and has led WLU to three championships.
Fairmont State is West Liberty's most frequent opponent in program history. Sunday's matchup will be the 189th meeting between the two schools, with the Falcons holding a 98-90 edge in the all-time series. However, WLU has dominated recent matchups, winning both regular-season meetings this year—103-87 on Jan. 11 at the ASRC and 81-77 on Feb. 15 at Joe Retton Arena—extending their current winning streak in the series to six games.
West Liberty enters the championship game leading the MEC in several key statistical categories, including:
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Scoring: 100.9 ppg
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Margin of Victory: +16.0
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Three-Pointers Made: 362 (12.1 per game)
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Turnovers Forced: 596 (+9.4 turnover margin)
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Assists: 674 (22.47 per game)
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Steals: 322 (10.7 per game)
Player Leaders:
Fairmont State ranks fourth in the MEC in scoring at 84.4 ppg but boasts the league's second-best defense, allowing just 75.0 ppg. The Falcons are also second in the conference in three-pointers made (291, 9.7 per game).
Game Details:
Matchup: Fairmont State vs. West Liberty
Event: MEC Championship Game
Date/Time: Sunday, 4 p.m.
Location: WesBanco Arena (Wheeling, W.Va.)
Records: FSU (26-4), WLU (27-3)
