WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The vaunted offensive attack of the West Liberty University Hilltoppers men's basketball team was on full display Wednesday as the hosts downed Urbana University 99-70.
Mario Lacy Jr. led the way for the visiting Blue Knights with 17 points in just 18 minutes of action. The freshman finished 8 for 10 from the field on the night.
Tehree Horn was the only other member of the Urbana team to notch double digits with a 13-point performance.
West Liberty (14-3, 9-2 MEC) shot 58 percent from the field in the first half on 19 of 33 attempts while Urbana tallied a respectable shooting percentage draining 13 of 29 (44.8%) shots, but the Hilltoppers raced out to a 50-29 lead at halftime thanks to 11 UU turnovers.
The Blue Knights stayed close and trailed by single digits until the six minute mark of the opening stanza.
However, the 'Toppers moved ahead by 11 on a Dalton Bolon layup and never relinquished the double-digit lead.
West Liberty closed the first half on a 25-9 run.
Urbana (4-13, 3-8 MEC) was able to hold the ball better in the second half, only lodging six miscues to forcing West Liberty into 10 of their own. The Blue Knights also limited the Hilltoppers to 18-of-41 shooting in the second half for a 43.9 shooting percentage.
Five Hilltoppers scored in double figures as Will Yoakum led the way for West Liberty with 22 points. Dalton Bolon and Bryce Butler both tallied a double-double as Bolon scored 16 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to Butler's 14 points and 10 rebounds.
With the conference schedule now halfway complete, Urbana sits tied for ninth just a game out of eighth place, which is currently owned by Frostburg State. If Urbana is to make the Mountain East Conference postseason tournament, the Blue Knights will need to finish no worse than 10th out of 12 teams.
UP NEXT: Urbana will close out a three-game road trip in South Euclid, Ohio, on Saturday, Jan. 25 against Notre Dame College, which is a team that Urbana is tied with in the conference standings. Tipoff will be at 4 p.m. and will mark the first meeting of the season between the two in-state rivals.
