WHEELING, W.Va. – It took a few minutes but West Liberty got its “burst” back on Saturday afternoon and that was bad news for visiting Glenville State.
Coach Jim Crutchfield’s No. 2-ranked Hilltoppers (11-0, 7-0) broke the game open with a 23-2 run over the final four minutes of the opening half and kept right on rolling to a 108-75 rout of the Pioneers (2-9, 2-6).
“We went to the bench a little earlier today than we have been,” Crutchfield said, “but we wanted to keep the pressure on Glenville and try to wear them down.
“Give them credit because they had some guys make some shots early despite the pressure but we finally reaped the benefits in the last four minutes of the first half.”
West Liberty never trailed but the Pioneers trailed by just a single point, 34-33, when the Hilltoppers launched their scoring blitz.
Three-pointers by Barry Shetzer and Chris Morrow ignited a blurry-fast 13-0 surge which stretched the margin to 47-33 as the clock turned under 2 minutes but the Hilltoppers kept the pedal to the metal.
Jonathan Bevins tried to stop the bleeding with a short jumper but Shetzer rained home another 3-pointer and West Liberty added four straight foul tosses by Tim Hausfeld and Mark Shadowens for a 54-35 lead in the waning seconds of the first half.
Hausfeld then applied the coup de grace with a 24-foot bomb just ahead of the buzzer to send the Hilltoppers racing off the court with a 57-35 lead.
West Liberty picked up where it had left off when play resumed and the margin stretched as high as 40 points as the hosts coasted down the stretch.
Jordan Fortney hit his first three shots from behind the 3-point arc in the game’s first 90 seconds and went to lead the Hilltoppers with 22 points. Shetzer added 17 points while Hausfeld and Shadowens added 11 each. Morrow rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.
Justin Caldwell scored a game-high 24 points for the Pioneers while Nick Dent added 21.
Saturday’s win kept West Liberty comfortably atop the West Virginia Conference standings but Crutchfield is expecting quite a challenge as the Hilltoppers embark on a lengthy road swing.
“We’re looking at a serious 4-game road trip and all four of the teams we’re playing are playing really well right now,” Crutchfield said. “Like most teams, we’re more confident playing at home but we’re going to have to prove we can play with that same confidence on the road for the next couple of weeks.”
West Liberty’s road trip starts Thursday night with a 7:30 p.m. game at Fairmont State.
GAME NOTES
X Wayne State (Mich.) upset No. 1 Findlay (Ohio) by a 91-68 score Saturday afternoon. As a result, West Liberty is likely to take over the No. 1 ranking in the national NCAA Division II coaches’ poll this week.
X Corey Pelle was held to a season-low 4 points but handed out 9 assists to become only the third Hilltopper ever to pass the 500-assist career milestone.
X West Liberty has not trailed in the second half of any game this season.
