WHEELING, W.Va. — The West Liberty University men's basketball team begins postseason play Friday evening as the No. 1 seed in the Mountain East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, taking on Davis & Elkins College in the quarterfinal round.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling.

West Liberty enters the tournament 24-4 overall and 18-2 in MEC play and is currently ranked No. 9 nationally while sitting No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings. 

West Liberty once again brings one of the most explosive offenses in NCAA Division II into postseason play.

The Hilltoppers rank second in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 99.3 points per game, while holding a +16.8 scoring margin. West Liberty also leads the country in bench scoring (48.1 points per game) and ranks among the national leaders in several other key categories.

The Hilltoppers are:

• Top 5 nationally in steals per game (12.1)
   

• Top 5 nationally in turnover margin (+7.3)
   

• Top 5 nationally in turnovers forced (19.8 per game)
   

• Top 10 nationally in assists per game (18.8)
   

West Liberty's depth continues to be a major strength, with nine players averaging at least 5.5 points per game.

Senior forward Jamie Muldowney leads the Hilltoppers with 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Myles Montgomery adds 13.5 points per contest and leads MEC in steals with 75 on the season (2.7 per game), that's also a WLU freshman record.

Cameron Williams contributes 12.2 points per game and has been a key offensive threat attacking the rim, leading the team with 140 free throw attempts.

West Liberty also receives strong production from Dante Spadafora (10.3 ppg), Landon Butler (8.9 ppg) and Peter Lattos (8.8 ppg) as the Hilltoppers continue to utilize one of the deepest rotations in Division II basketball.

Davis & Elkins enters the matchup 10-19 overall and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 75-73 win over Point Park in Wednesday's opening round.

The Senators average 82.4 points per game and are led by Matthew Gray, who scores 16.6 points per game.

Vegas Evans adds 16.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while Noah Adamczyk contributes 12.2 points per contest. Perimeter threat Nnadozie Okoroji has also been a key scorer, averaging 9.8 points per game while shooting over 41 percent from three-point range.

West Liberty swept the regular-season series between the teams.

The Hilltoppers won the first meeting 101-97 in Elkins on Jan. 3, before recording a 111-74 victory at the ASRC on Feb. 4.

In the most recent meeting, West Liberty shot 51 percent from the field and forced 25 Davis & Elkins turnovers.

West Liberty holds a 91-29 advantage in the all-time series and has won 29 consecutive games against the Senators.

The Hilltoppers also defeated Davis & Elkins in last year's MEC Tournament, earning a 102-77 victory in the quarterfinal round at WesBanco Arena.

With a win Friday night, West Liberty would advance to Saturday's MEC Tournament semifinals for the 13th consecutive year as the Hilltoppers continue their pursuit of their fifth conference tournament championship.




West Liberty University blends a small-town environment with a comprehensive college experience, fostering students' aspirations through hands-on learning, personalized support, and unique academic programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Learn more at westliberty.edu.