Bolon’s double-double helps give West Liberty men’s basketball to a season-opening acquire
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The No. 8-rated West Liberty College men’s basketball workforce picked up right where it had left off practically a calendar year back Thursday night, racing away to a 98-77 victory versus Notre Dame (Ohio) in a mutual year opener at the ASRC.
Mentor Ben Howlett’s Hilltoppers opened up a 25-stage direct much less than seven minutes into the second 50 percent and hardly ever appeared back in their 1st recreation because defeating Charleston in the championship match of the Mountain East Conference Match in Wheeling on March 8.
“I’m just pleased we were being finally able to enjoy,” Howlett reported. “Tonight was just about 10 months to the day since these guys experienced performed an true basketball sport so they had been raring to go. It was pretty sloppy at initially, as I anticipated, but there was about a 4-moment span early in the 2nd half in which we had been obtaining after it to the place that it appeared additional like West Liberty basketball.
“I’m not complaining. With all the troubles we’ve faced together with everybody else in this place above the past couple months, I’ll take any win we can get.”
The Falcons held items interesting for the very first 20 minutes, trailing just 46-36 at the half, but when West Liberty’s Bryce Butler opened the 2nd fifty percent with a 3-stage bomb it appeared to light the fuse.
The Hilltoppers strike 11 of their to start with 14 shots from the flooring in the second half, with various of them remaining transition layups off turnovers established by their full-court trapping defense. A Dalton Bolon (Indian Valley) 3-pointer and a Marlon Moore changeover layup capped a 13- blitz and manufactured WLU’s most important guide of the night time at 66-41. The closing 13:31 was just a formality.
“I considered Malik McKinney and Zach Rasile were huge aspects in that second-50 % burst,” Howlett explained. “They have been finding steals and making havoc, which is what we’re all about. I considered Zach performed well in his 1st school video game and so did Elijah Watson. These guys are likely to enable us.”
Each West Liberty player hit the scoring column. Bolon charted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds though Pat Robinson III poured in 18 of his 20 factors in the to start with 50 percent. Butler added 18 points and 7 rebounds when McKinney experienced 10 factors off the bench and Moore donated 8 details and 8 rebounds.
“We’ve been waiting for this for 10 months,” Robinson explained. “We’ve been killing each and every other in practice for so prolonged now, it felt excellent to go up versus somebody else.”
Jordan Burton tossed in a recreation-higher 24 factors for Notre Dame whilst Jordan Roland joined him in double figures with 17.
The Hilltoppers will be again in action on Sunday when they journey to Philippi, W.Va. to get on MEC newcomer Alderson Broaddus. Tipoff is established for 4 p.m. at Rex Pyles Arena.