WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The second-seeded West Liberty University men’s basketball team is in the Sweet 16 and will take on the No. 1 seed Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday for a regional championship and spot in the Division II Elite Eight.
THE BASICS
NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament | Kovalchick Complex (Indiana, Pa)
Championship “Sweet 16” | March 14, 2023 | 7:00 pm
(2) #5 West Liberty (30-3, 20-2 MEC) vs. (1) #3 Indiana (Pa.) (32-1, 21-1 PSAC)
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 the regional championship game will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on March 21-25 in Evansville, Indiana.
THE HILLTOPPERS
West Liberty ended the regular season on a 10-game winning streak and has extended it to 15 after a dominating run through the MEC Tournament and a pair of NCAA regional wins, 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.
REGIONAL RECAPS
Shook Off Slow Start; Surged Past Mercyhurst in Semifinal
After getting down 8-0 early, West Liberty regrouped and led by three Zach Rasile longballs the Hilltoppers were right back in the game. An 8-0 run to end the half gave West Liberty its first lead of the game and led to a 37-34 advantage at the break. The teams went back-and-forth for the opening nine minutes of the second half before WLU extended the lead to double digits with 10:35 left. The Lakers got within six with just over eight minutes to play, but no closer. An 11-0 Hilltopper run put the Black and Gold ahead by 17, their largest lead of the game with six minutes remaining. The lead stayed at 13-plus the rest of the way and Ben Sarson put the exclamation point on the game with a two-handed jam with two minutes left.
Back-to-back MEC Atlantic Region and Mountain East Conference Player of the Year Bryce Butler led the team in scoring for the sixth straight game pouring in 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, but that’s not all. Butler was active in all facets of the game pulling in a team-best six rebounds and dishing out a game-high seven assists, along with two blocks on the defensive end and just one turnover.
Christian Montague went 6-for-9 from the floor including three long balls to add 17 points, while tallying six assists, four rebounds, three of which on the offensive end, and two steals.
The Hilltoppers shot 52% overall, their fifth straight game above 50% from the floor, and assisted on 19 of their 30 made baskets. WLU connected on 11 triples to eight for Mercyhurst and outscored the Lakers 34-28 in the paint.
Rolled Past UPJ in Regional Opener
The Hilltoppers cruised past Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday afternoon, 112-88. West Liberty netted 11 of the first 13 points and never looked back. The Mountain Cats closed the gap to 13-7 but  Malik McKinney answered with a driving layup and the Hilltopper pressure clamped down hard. The Black and Gold reeled off 10 unanswered points over the next 90 seconds to push the count to 23-7 with 12:42 still to play in the first half. The lead never dropped below double-figures the rest of the way. The margin hit 20 points for the first time, 37-17, on a Steve Cannady free throw at 7:40 of the first half. West Liberty carried a 58-42 advantage into the halftime locker room and led by as many as 24 points down the stretch.
The Hilltoppers hit 54 percent (43-of-79) of their shots from the floor, including 8-of-20 (40 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. Howlett’s up-tempo crew came up with 14 steals, forced 20 turnovers and held a whopping 31-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
Two-time Atlantic Region Player of the Year Bryce Butler led the way with 27 points and 8 rebounds while McKinney added 22 points to pace seven WLU players in double-figures. Ben Sarson and Zach Rasile finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, Christian Montague added 11 and the Black and Gold got 10 each from Cannady and Fin Woodward.
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 31-13 in NCAA tournament play. The Hilltoppers have advanced to now 10 of the last 13 Sweet 16s, made 6 Elite Eight trips and played in 3 Final Fours. The 14 consecutive tournament appearances is the longest active streak in DII 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. His career record sits at 158-24 all-time. Howlett is the winningest active head men’s basketball coach across all NCAA divisions (minimum five seasons) with an .868 winning percentage.
BUTLER REPEATS AS POY; MCKINNEY AND MONTAGUE EARN SECOND TEAM
West Liberty’s Bryce Butler, a 6’5″ guard from Latrobe, Pa, made it back-to-back Atlantic Region and MEC Player of the Year honors with another impressive season. He is just 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 four 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 (12.6), three-point attempts per game (33.0), assists per game (22.5), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.93). WLU ranks second in scoring offense (101.0 points per game) and scoring margin (+19.6), third in turnover margin (+7.7) and steals per game (10.8) and is fourth in turnovers forced per game (19.27).
West Liberty hit the century mark in five straight games to end the regular season and did so for the 18th time in the regional opener. The Hilltoppers have recorded 25 of their 30 wins by double digits, including each of their last six. WLU is shooting 49.6% from the field (13th in DII) and 38.3% from beyond the arc, meanwhile opponents are netting 81.4 points per game by converting at a 47.6% rate from the field and 34.1% clip from deep. WLU hoisted double-digit more shot attempts than opponents in 17 of the 33 games, including a 79-61 advantage in field goal attempts versus UPJ on Saturday. The Black and Gold has dished out 20-plus assists in 23 of their 33 games this season and 30-plus in four outings.
The Hilltoppers have forced 20 or more turnovers 16 times this season.
WLU has drained double-digit threes in 26 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 15 of the last 17 games. They have held opponents to single digit three pointers in 28 of the 33 games, including eight straight and 15 of the last 17.
BUTLER LEADS THE WAY
Bryce Butler leads the MEC in scoring and is 13th in DII at 22.4 points per game, while making the most field goals of any DII player (299). He is shooting 59.3% from the floor, the second-best mark in the conference. Butler also leads the team in rebounding, at 7.7 boards per game, the third-most in the MEC, ranks top-five in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.00), and averages 3.8 assists per game (2nd on the team and 7th in MEC). He 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 leading into the regionals, where he posted games of 27 points and eight rebounds versus UPJ and 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists versus Mercyhurst. He has 10 double-doubles on the season. Butler has netted double-digits in all 33 games, he scored 20-plus 24 times, including three of the last four (19 points on Sunday) and seven of the last 11, he also has three 30-point outings. The MEC and Atlantic Region Player of the Year for the second straight season has been West Liberty’s leading scorer in 25 of the 33 games and six in a row. Butler tied his season-high with seven assists in the regional semifinal win over Mercyhurst and has had six assists four times. 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 (12.3), Christian Montague (12.2), Steve Cannady (11.1), and Ben Sarson (11.0) all join Butler (22.4). McKinney (55.9%) and Butler (59.3%) are making over half their shot attempts.
Four Hilltoppers shoot 40% or better from beyond the arc, Rasile leads at 45.0%, then Montague hits at a 44.5% rate, Butler drains 42.5% of his long balls, and Cannady is at 40.5% from deep.
Five ‘Toppers have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.0 or better. Montague leads the MEC and is 12th in DII at 3.00, while Cannady (2.82), Dante Spadafora (2.73), Alek West (2.64), and Bryce Butler (2.00) round out the quintet.
10 Hilltoppers average over 10 minutes per game with Butler leading all players, at 28.4 minutes on the court.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Christian Montague scored a career-high 30 points in the home regular season 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 2.09 triples per game, while shooting 44.5% from three. He leads the team averaging 3.8 assists per game and has had seven twice this season. Montague also ranks sixth in the MEC with 49 steals (2nd on the team). He has scored double-digits 21 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 scored double-digits in three of the last four games netting nine in the regional semifinal win over his former squad. Cannady has posted 10-plus 19 times in his first season dawning the Black and Gold his postseason scoring spree has featured 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 2.9 assists per game. Cannady also ranks fifth in the MEC in steals with a team-high 52 on the season averaging 1.6 per game.
Zach Rasile is top-five in the MEC averaging 2.30 three pointers per game and is shooting a team-best 45.0% from deep. The sophomore guard was a key factor early in the regional semifinal win to fend off a tough start for WLU draining three long balls. He tied his career-high with five triples for the fourth time in the home win over Concord and has hit 13 over the five postseason games. Rasile has scored double digits 16 times this season and has eclipsed 10 points in four of the five postseason games. He tied his career-high for the second time this season with three steals in the regular season finale versus Wheeling. Rasile averages 9.2 points per game.
Ben Sarson, a 6’6″ sophomore forward, has netted double figures 19 times this season including six of the last seven outings. Sarson scored season-highs of 24 and 20 in the two regular season matchups against Notre Dame College. He is shooting a team-best 83.6% from the line. Sarson has made a three in 15 of the last 16 games, including a career-high five at Notre Dame and has multiple triples in five of the last seven. 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., eclipsed 1,000 career points in the Hilltopper uniform this season becoming the 55th player in West Liberty history to join the club. He has scored double digits 19 times this season, including 12 of the last 15 games, and hit the 20 mark three times with a pair of 24-point outings. He posted 22 points in 23 minutes in the regional-opening rout of Pitt-Johnstown, in which he shot 7-for-9 with one three pointer and made seven free throws. McKinney has attempted 126 free throws this season (second on the team behind Butler’s 142) and is shooting 80.2%.
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 6.6 points per game and has hit double-digits seven times. He dishes out 2.9 assists per game. West also is seventh in the MEC with 46 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 6.1 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 3.8 points per game and the double-double was his lone game in double digits.
Finley Woodward had a 10-point outing in the regional opener against UPJ and netted eight in the MEC Championship game. He has had double-digits in three outings, seeing time as a true freshman on the hilltop. The England native averages 3.5 points per game and is converting his shots at a 52.6% rate, he has made 10 of his 15 shots over the past three games.
Dante Spadafora, a redshirt freshman, is a spark plug off the bench for the Hilltoppers both offensively and defensively and provided a strong six minutes scoring eight points on Sunday in the regional semifinal. 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 25-0 when shooting over 46% from the field and has shot over 50% in each of the five postseason contests this season. The Hilltoppers have made over half their shots 18 times and had a season-best 60% shooting in the home win over Concord on Feb. 11.
WLU is 21-0 when shooting 34% or better from three. The Hilltoppers have shot 40% or better 13 times, including an even 40% on Saturday versus UPJ, and went over 50% from beyond the arc in three outings, featuring a season-best 57.1% mark in the home win over Concord on Feb. 11.
WLU is 20-0 when recording double-digit steals and is 23-0 when forcing 17 or more turnovers.
THE CRIMSON HAWKS
IUP started the season 22-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the country. After a setback against Mercyhurst, the Crimson Hawks have won 10 in a row entering the regional finals, as the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and sit at No. 3 in the national polls.
IUP leads the country in field goal percentage defense (38.3%), is fourth in points allowed per game (59.2) and is eighth in three-point defense (29.8). Offensively, the Crimson Hawks are scoring 74 points per game on 45.6% shooting for a +14.8-scoring margin (sixth in DII) and are hitting 7.3 three pointers per game (33.1% from deep). IUP owns a +2.7-turnover margin and forces 14.91 per game, while ranking 14th in DII with 9.3 steals per game. The Hawks average a +4.0-rebounding margin and pull in 12 offensive boards per game.
Graduate student Shawndale Jones is a first team All-Region selection and the PSAC-West Player of the Year. He leads the team and conference at 19.4 points and 1.88 steals per game.
Dave Morris is the PSAC leader draining 2.70 threes per game and is converting long balls at a 34.9% clip, while scoring 14.9 points per game. Jones and Morris pace the passing efforts averaging 3.4 and 3.1 assists per game.
Tomiwa Sulaiman pulls in 9.5 rebounds per game, 3.79 of which on the offensive end, ranking in the top three of the PSAC and averages 12.5 points.
Morris and Sulaiman both earned first team all-conference selections along with Jones. Ethan Porterfield rounds out four Hawks averaging double-digit points per game, at 12.2.
SERIES HISTORY
The Hilltoppers are 4-6 in 10 all-time meetings against the Crimson Hawks. The teams met in the Atlantic Regional four times over a five-year span (2011-2015), three of those games were regional finals, and have not played each other since. WLU is 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament matchups, only dropping the most recent game in the 2015 regional final on its home court.
The Hilltoppers have been held under 90 in all four NCAA Tournament games against IUP and average 83.75 points per game. The last West Liberty win was in three overtimes in the 2014 regional semifinals at East Stroudsburg.
This will be the first postseason matchup to be played at IUP, all but the 2014 3OT win were in West Liberty.
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 31-13 all-time in tournament history, while posting a 7-5 record under Coach Howlett’s direction competing in his sixth tournament (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 now 10 of the last 13 tournaments and this will be the third appearance 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
2023
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
Pitt-Johnstown 88, West Liberty 112
Mercyhurst 72, West Liberty 86
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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