WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University men’s basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th straight season after a dominating weekend at the Mountain East Conference Tournament and will be the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Regional, hosted by Indiana University of Pennsylvania, starting on Saturday.
THE BASICS
NCAA Division II Tournament (Atlantic Region) | Kovalchick Complex (Indiana, Pa)
Quarterfinals (March 11, 2023)
(7) Pitt-Johnstown (20-10, 15-7 PSAC) vs. (2) #5 West Liberty (28-3, 20-2 MEC)
Live stats and video links will be available here.
FAN INFORMATION
For more information on the host site, tickets, schedules, and more click here. The winner of West Liberty’s quarterfinal game will take on the winner of (3) Mercyhurst and (6) East Stroudsburg on Sunday at 5 pm. The semifinal winners move on to the regional final, which will be Tuesday (March 14) at 7 pm.
THE HILLTOPPERS
West Liberty ended the regular season on a 10-game winning streak and has extended it to 13 after a dominating run through the MEC Tournament, their longest streak of the season. WLU started the season 9-0, then after a hiccup in the first game in Las Vegas against Lubbock Christian, the Black and Gold rattled off five wins in a row. A convincing loss at Fairmont State (101-76) started a rough one-week span, which added a road loss to crosstown rival Wheeling (114-107). The Hilltoppers regrouped with a dominating 104-69 win over D&E the next Wednesday at home and took the momentum into the postseason not losing since.
DOMINATING MEC TOURNAMENT
The Hilltoppers earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament out of the Mountain East Conference with a dominating three days last weekend at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling. West Liberty rolled to victories of 24, 21, and 30 for the largest overall scoring margin in tournament history (+75) defeating (8) Concord, (5) Notre Dame, and (2) Fairmont State.
In the championship victory over Fairmont State, WLU set seven tournament championship game records, including most points (112), largest halftime lead (+20), largest final margin (+30), most field goals made (42), most three pointers made (18), most rebounds (48), and most assists (29).
Bryce Butler was named Tournament MVP after posting a double-double in all three games and finished the tournament averaging 22.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. Steve Cannady drained a game-high five three pointers and ended with 19 points in the championship to earn a spot on all-tournament team.
LONGEST ACTIVE NCAA TOURNAMENT STREAK
This is West Liberty’s 14th consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament trip and 15th overall. The Black and Gold are 29-13 in NCAA tournament play. The Hilltoppers have advanced to 9 of the last 12 Sweet 16s, made 6 Elite Eight trips and played in 3 Final Fours. The 14 consecutive tournament appearances is the longest active streak in D2 and one shy of the record 15 straight set by Assumption (Mass.) from 1963-77
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS AGAIN
West Liberty won its sixth straight MEC regular season title this season. The Hilltoppers have won nine regular season titles in the 10-year history of the conference. WLU was the sole regular season champion in 2014, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 22, then won the North Division in 2021 (the lone year with divisions) and shared the title with Wheeling Jesuit in 2016. Fairmont State was the only other sole champion in 2017. The Hilltoppers dynasty dates to 2010, when they were members of the WVIAC winning the league in 2010, 11, 12, 13, and 14 before the creation of the MEC making it 13 of the last 14 years that West Liberty has been regular season conference champions.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE COACH IN THE NCAA
The win at Frostburg State on February 15 was Head Coach Ben Howlett‘s 150th career win at the helm of the Hilltoppers. He enters the NCAA Tournament with a career record of 156-24. Howlett is the winningest active head men’s basketball coach across all NCAA divisions (minimum five seasons) with an .867 winning percentage.
BUTLER REPEATS AS POY; MCKINNEY AND MONTAGUE EARN SECOND TEAM
West Liberty’s Bryce Butler, a 6’5″ guard from Latrobe, Pa, followed up last year’s Atlantic Region and MEC Player of the Year honors with another impressive season to become the third back-to-back MEC Player of the Year in conference history alongside WLU’s Dalton Bolon in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and Seger Bonifant in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Hilltoppers have now had the last four MEC Player of the Year honorees and seven in the 10 year history of the league. Christian Montague was named second team for the first time in his career after earning All-GMAC honors while at Walsh earlier in his career, then Malik McKinney earned his first all-conference honor also on second team.
STAT CHECK
The Hilltoppers are in the top three in Division II in nine statistical categories and lead the country in four. They are No. 1 in the country in three pointers per game (12.8), three-point attempts per game (33.6), assists per game (22.7), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.92). WLU ranks second in scoring offense (101.2 points per game), scoring margin (+19.7), turnovers forced per game (19.58), and steals per game (11.0). Then, ranks third in turnover margin (+7.7).
West Liberty hit the century mark in five straight games to end the regular season and did so for the 17th time in the MEC Tournament Championship rout of Fairmont State after netting 96 in each of the first two games. The Hilltoppers have recorded 23 of their 28 wins by double digits, including each of their last five. WLU is shooting 49.3% from the field (19th in DII) and 38.2% from beyond the arc, meanwhile opponents are netting 81.5 points per game by converting at a 49.3% rate from the field and 33.7% clip from deep. WLU hoisted double-digit more shot attempts than opponents in 16 of the 31 games. The Black and Gold has dished out 20-plus assists in 23 of their 31 games this season and 30-plus in four outings.
The Hilltoppers have forced 20 or more turnovers 15 times this season and three of the last five games.
WLU has drained double-digit threes in 25 outings and hit 20 or more four times, most recently draining 20 versus Concord, in which they set an NCAA DII single-game record having 12 different players record a made three pointer, on February 11. WLU has made double-digit threes in 14 of the last 15 games and eight straight. They have held opponents to single digit three pointers in 26 of the 31 games, including six straight and 13 of the last 15.
BUTLER LEADS THE WAY
Butler leads the MEC in scoring and is top-15 in DII at 22.3 points per game, while making the second-most field goals of any DII player (278). He is shooting 58.9% from the floor, the third-best mark in the conference. Butler also leads the team in rebounding, at 7.8 boards per game, the fourth-most in the MEC, ranks fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.92), and averages 3.7 assists per game (2nd on the team and 7th in MEC). He has posted a double-double in four straight games including a career-high 16 rebounds in the MEC semifinal and a 22-point, 12-rebound championship performance. He has 11 double-doubles on the season. Butler has netted double-digits in all 30 games, he scored 20-plus 23 times, including five of the last seven, and has three 30-point outings. He has been West Liberty’s leading scorer in 23 of the 31 games and four in a row. Butler has had six assists in four different outings, including in the win over Fairmont State, which he also scored 27 points, and had a season-high seven in the home win over Notre Dame. He has had four-plus assists in six of the last eight games. Butler is a five-time MEC Player of the Week and was named the D2CIDA National Player of the Week on December 13 after his game-winning shot over WVSU at home.
TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
Five Hilltoppers average double-digit points per game. Malik McKinney (12.1), Christian Montague (12.0), Steve Cannady (11.2), and Ben Sarson (11.1) all join Butler (22.3). McKinney (55.3%) and Butler (58.9%) are making over half their shot attempts.
Four Hilltoppers shoot 40% or better from beyond the arc, Rasile leads at 45.2%, then Montague and Butler each drain 43.6% of their long balls, and Cannady is at 40.8%.
Three ‘Toppers are in the top-four in the MEC in assist-to-turnover ratio, Cannady (1st – 3.13), Montague (2nd – 2.93), and Butler (4th – 1.92).
10 Hilltoppers average over 10 minutes per game with Butler leading all players, at 28.3 minutes on the court.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Christian Montague scored a career-high 30 points in the win over Fairmont State and pulled in a team-high eight rebounds, the only player other than Bryce Butler to lead the team in points and rebounds in a game this season. Montague is second on the team, averaging 2.10 triples per game, while shooting 43.6% from three. He leads the team averaging 3.9 assists per game and has had seven twice this season. He has had four-plus assists in 14 of the last 18 outings, including five in the MEC championship game. His 2.93 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 14th in DII. Montague also ranks seventh in the MEC with 45 steals (2nd on the team). He has scored double-digits 19 times with two above 20 points (26 & 30) and posted 19 with a tie of his season-high five three pointers (for the third time) in the regular season finale versus Wheeling. Montague went over 1,000 career points between Walsh and West Liberty with a previous career-high of 26 points in the home matchup against Frostburg State on January 11.
Steve Cannady, a graduate transfer from Mercyhurst where he eclipsed 1,000 career points, has posted 10-plus 18 times in his first season dawning the Black and Gold including two straight, which features a 19-point outing with a tie of his season-high five three pointers in the MEC championship game. He dished out six assists for the sixth time in the conference championship game as well and averages 3.0 assists per game. His conference and team leading 3.13 assist-to-turnover ratio is 11th in DII. Cannady also ranks fifth in the MEC in steals with a team-high 50 on the season averaging 1.61 per game.
Zach Rasile is top-five in the MEC averaging 2.29 three pointers per game and is shooting a team-best 45.2% from deep. The sophomore guard tied his career-high with five triples for the fourth time in the recent home win over Concord and hit eight over three games in the conference tournament last weekend. Rasile also tied his career-high for the second time this season with three steals in the regular season finale versus Wheeling and has recorded at least one in 15 of the last 17 games.
Ben Sarson, a 6’6″ sophomore forward, scored a team-leading 20 points at Notre Dame in the last week of the regular season, his second game hitting 20-plus, and has netted double figures 18 times this season including five straight outings. He is shooting a team-best 82.7% from the line. Sarson has made a three in each of the last 14 games, including a career-high five at Notre Dame. He averages 1.97 three pointers per game, 10th in the MEC. Sarson had a team-high in rebounds in four straight games, from Feb. 8-18, including a career-high (11) at Glenville State on February 8.
Malik McKinney, a senior guard from Bowie, Md., recently eclipsed 1,000 career points in the Hilltopper uniform becoming the 55th player in West Liberty history to join the club. He has scored double digits 19 times this season, including 11 of the last 13 games, and hit the 20 mark three times with a pair of 24-point outings. He posted 17 points in the regular season finale, his highest scoring outing of the 13-game stretch, on 6-for-9 shooting and a pair of threes and is coming off 16 in the conference championship game on 6-for-9 shooting and two threes. McKinney has attempted 111 free throws this season (second on the team behind Butler’s 137) and is shooting 81.1%. He has converted 24 of his last 26 trips to the line since the February 1 game at West Virginia State.
Alek West, a junior guard in his first season on the hilltop after transferring from Ohio Dominican, scored a season-best 17 points with two threes and a 9-for-9 effort at the free throw line in the overtime win over Fairmont State at home on February 18. He added a second straight double-digit scoring effort at Notre Dame with 10 and then posted 11 in the MEC Tournament quarterfinals versus Concord. West averages 6.8 points per game and has hit double-digits seven times. He has had multiple assists in 14 of the last 17 games and averages 2.9 per game. West also is seventh in the MEC with 45 steals this season.
Chaz Hinds netted his seventh double-digit game in the MEC championship game providing 15 points, 12 of which in the first half. He has one double-double (15 pts – 11 reb at AB in the conference opener) in his first season on the hilltop, as a junior college transfer, and is averaging 6.5 points per game.
Michael Sampson also recorded one double-double in his first season in the Black and Gold, after transferring from Notre Dame College, with a 13-point, 11-rebound outing in the win at home against Frostburg State. He averages 4.1 points per game and the double-double was his lone game in double digits.
Finley Woodward has had double-digits in two outings, seeing time as a true freshman on the hilltop. He is coming off an eight-point outing on 4-of-6 shooting in the MEC Championship game. Woodward averages 3.3 points per game and is converting his shots at a 51.8% rate.
Dante Spadafora, a redshirt freshman, is a spark plug off the bench for the Hilltoppers both offensively and defensively. The sharpshooter drained a season-high four threes in five attempts in the home win over Davis & Elkins on January 12.
STARS ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM
Bryce Butler, Steve Cannady, Zach Rasile, and Ben Sarson were all named Academic All-District in February. It is the second straight season Butler earned the honor and first for Cannady, Rasile, and Sarson.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
West Liberty finished the season with a perfect 14-0 home record, the first undefeated home season since 2016-17, when WLU went 16-0. The Hilltoppers went 10-2 on the road and 1-1 in neutral site contests, both played in Las Vegas in late December.
WLU owns a 298-39 (.884) all-time and 204-30 (.872) conference record inside the ASRC since it opened in 2000. The Hilltoppers have won 112 of their last 118 games at home.
RECORD SUPERLATIVES
WLU is 23-0 when shooting over 46% from the field and shot over 50% in each of the three MEC Tournament games. The Hilltoppers have made over half their shots 16 times and had a season-best 60% shooting in the home win over Concord on Feb. 11.
WLU is 19-0 when shooting 34% or better from three. The Hilltoppers have shot 40% or better 12 times and went over 50% from beyond the arc in three outings, including a season-best 57.1% mark in the home win over Concord on Feb. 11.
WLU is 19-0 when recording double-digit steals, and has done so in six of the last eight games, and is 22-0 when forcing 17 or more turnovers.
THE MOUNTAIN CATS
It’s the 5th NCAA Tournament appearance for Pitt-Johnstown and the first since 2009. The Mountain Cats are 2-4 in NCAA Tournament action. UPJ has dropped five of its last eight outings, including last week’s 86-57 PSAC Tournament loss to nationally ranked Mercyhurst.
Pitt-Johnstown leads all of Division II with a 42.1% three-point percentages and makes 7.4 triples per game. UPJ ranks ninth in DII and atop its conference with a 50.4% field goal percentage, while averaging 75.1 points per game. The Mountain Cats are second in the PSAC with a 1.31 assist-to-turnover ratio and an average of 16.5 assists per game. UPJ has a -0.9-turnover margin with an average of 12.6 turnovers per game.
UPJ allows 71.2 points per game on 42.1% shooting and a 34.2% mark from beyond the arc for opponents. The Mountain Cats average a -1.9-rebounding margin.
Senior forward John Paul Kromka leads the Mountain Cats averaging 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He is shooting 68.3% from the floor, the second-best mark in all of DII, and has the fifth-most blocks in DII with 72 for an average of 2.57 per game. Kromka enters on a streak of 23-, 30-, and 22-point outings over the last three games. He is a three-time first team selection in the PSAC West and has earned the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year award four times.
Senior guard Jared Jakubick (11.2) and redshirt freshman Andrew Shull (10.9) both average double figures as well. Shull leads the team with a 1.49 assist-to-turnover ratio and dishes out 3.0 assists per game. Shull also was named second team All-PSAC West and PSAC West Freshman of the Year this season.
Three players average 32 or more minutes, led Jakubick, at 33.6 per game.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 23rd meeting between the programs. West Liberty has won the last 10 to take a 15-7 lead in the all-time series in a series that dates to the 1929-30 season. This will be the first meeting between the schools in the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier this season (November 16 in West Liberty): UPJ (76) – WLU (93)
Full Recap | Box Score
West Liberty used an early 11-0 run to get in front and fended off three ties to stay ahead and cruise to a 93-76 win over Pitt-Johnstown in the early season meeting that capped off a 3-0 homestand to start the year for WLU. The Hilltoppers led for double digits for all but two minutes in the second half.
Malik McKinney scored a career-high 24 points, with 17 coming in the second half, to lead all scorers. Cannady added 18 on 4-of-6 shooting from deep, while Montague drained three from beyond the arc and had 13 points. Butler made his presence felt all over the court as he put up a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards, then added five steals.
The Hilltoppers swiped 17 steals on the night and scored 31 points off turnovers. Even though the rebounding margin was even, West Liberty commanded the offensive end grabbing 11 and only allowing three. The Black and Gold got up 23 more shots than the Mountain Cats and connected on 35% of their attempts from beyond the arc (14-40).
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
West Liberty is in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 14th consecutive season and 15th time in program history. WLU is 29-13 all-time in tournament history, while posting a 5-5 record under Coach Howlett’s direction the past six seasons (2021 tournament was cancelled due to COVID).
The Hilltoppers have made the NCAA Division II Elite Eight six times in program history, once under Coach Howlett in 2021 after going 3-0 as the hosts of the Atlantic Regional. West Liberty has been in the regional final (Sweet 16) in nine of the last 12 tournaments and have made two appearances under Coach Howlett (lost in 2019 and won in 2021).
WLU has made four Final Four appearances and competed in the national championship game once in 2014 falling to Central Missouri (84-77).
2007
NCAA Division II East Region
California (Pa.) 82, West Liberty 79, OT
2010
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 79, Alderson-Broaddus 66
West Liberty 90, St. Augustine’s (N.C.) 83
Indiana (Pa.) 84, West Liberty 72
2011
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 117, Slippery Rock (Pa.) 73
West Liberty 98, Shaw (N.C.) 93
West Liberty 89, Indiana (Pa.) 86
NCAA Division II Elite Eight
West Liberty 113, Anderson (S.C.) 95
BYU-Hawaii 110, West Liberty 101
2012
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 119, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 82
West Liberty 99, W.Va. Wesleyan 69
West Liberty 89, Shaw (N.C.) 78
NCAA Division II Elite Eight
Stonehill (Mass.) 91, West Liberty 90
2013
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 114, Bowie State (Md.) 82
West Liberty 100, Fairmont State 77
West Liberty 86, Indiana (Pa.) 63
NCAA Division II Elite Eight
West Liberty 110, Winona State (Minn.) 84
Metro State (Colo.) 83, West Liberty 76
2014
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 88, Glenville State 72
West Liberty 86, Indiana (Pa.) 85, 3OT
West Liberty 89, East Stroudsburg 82
NCAA Division II Elite Eight
West Liberty 85, Drury (Mo.) 75
West Liberty 86, South Carolina-Aiken 83
Central Missouri 84, West Liberty 77
2015
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 127, Livingstone (N.C.) 89
West Liberty 89, Fairmont State 59
Indiana (Pa.) 77, West Liberty 74
2016
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 90, Concord 69
West Liberty 84, Virginia State 74
West Liberty 84, Kutztown (Pa.) 63
NCAA Division II Elite Eight
West Liberty 75, Stonehill (Mass.) 74
Lincoln Memorial 103, West Liberty 102
2017
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
Wheeling Jesuit 96, West Liberty 95, OT
2018
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
Shippensburg (Pa.) 98, West Liberty 66
2019
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 106, East Stroudsburg 99, OT
West Liberty 82, Virginia State 80
Mercyhurst 82, West Liberty 70
2020
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
CANCELED (COVID-19 Pandemic)
2021
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
West Liberty 94, Malone 89
West Liberty 82, Charleston 63
West Liberty 78, Hillsdale 61
NCAA Division II Elite Eight
NW Missouri State 98, West Liberty 77
2022
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
W.Va. State 103, West Liberty 94, OT
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Follow all the action for every game by visiting the Tournament Central page here.
Follow Hilltopper basketball all season online at HilltopperSports.com and on Twitter (@WLU_Hoops | @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_mbb | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.
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