Dalton Bolon Nets 2,000th Point in West Liberty Win Over Notre Dame College
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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio - Dalton Bolon scored his 2,000th career point and the No. 23 West Liberty men's basketball team scored the last seven points Saturday to fend off a spirited Notre Dame upset bid and escape Murphy Gym with an 89-84 victory.
It was the fifth straight win for Coach Ben Howlett's resurgent Hilltoppers (9-3) but it came with more than its share of anxious moments in a game that saw 15 ties and a dozen lead changes.
The host Falcons (4-7) took their last lead of the day, 84-82, on a Jordan Burton jumper with 1:43 to go but WLU's Pat Robinson knifed down the lane for the equalizer just 10 seconds later.
With the score still tied, 84-84, Howlett called his final timeout to set the crucial possession. Robinson took a handoff at the top of the key, split two defenders and was fouled as he curled in the go-ahead hoop. His free throw made it 87-84 with 42 seconds left.
Unable to find a 3-point opportunity, Roland drove toward the hoop late in the shot clock but Moore came up big with a block. West Liberty retrieved the carom and McKinney knocked down two free throws to seal it.
Bolon became only the sixth man in nearly a century of Hilltopper basketball to reach the 2,000-point career mark on a free throw late in the first half. He finished with 11 points on the day.
True freshman Zach Rasile provided a big lift off the bench with 12 points on 4 of 5 3-point shooting.
Robinson made his last four shots from the floor to finish with 16 points while Will Yoakum also went for 16 points with six rebounds. Bryce Butler had a strong game off the bench with 14 points and Malik McKinney added a season-high 13 points along with a career-high eight rebounds.
Fairmont State 87 Wheeling 73
FAIRMONT -- A second-half surge sunk the Cardinals in a loss at Fairmont State n inside the Joe Retton Arena.
The loss sends the Cardinals to 2-7 overall, while the Falcons, who are receiving votes in the latest National Collegiate Basketball Coaches Association Top-25 poll, improve to a Mountain East Conference North Division best 8-2 this season.
Senior guard Jarett Haines led the way with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Haines converted all three of his attempts from long range. Junior guard Brent Price chipped in 13 points, while senior guard Jordan Reid added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
The Cardinals held a 43-40 lead on a Reid layup with 15:45 to play in the contest.
Fairmont State went on its biggest run of the game with a 15-3 spurt that gave the hosts a 55-46 advantage with 12:19 left on the clock.