WEST LIBERTY – The West Liberty University men’s basketball team continues its climb up the national rankings, moving into the No. 5 spot in this week’s National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Coaches Poll.

The Hilltoppers (5-0) jumped two spots from No. 7 in last week’s poll, marking their first appearance in the top five this season.

The current top five rankings include:

1. Nova Southeastern (7-0) – 400 points (16 first-place votes)

2. West Texas A&M (6-0) – 384 points

3. Washburn (6-0) – 362 points

4. Minnesota Duluth (5-0) – 340 points

5. West Liberty (5-0) – 334 points

On Tuesday evening, the No. 5-ranked West Liberty University men’s basketball team, defeated Salem 101-87 on Tuesday night to improve to 6-0 in their first road game of the season.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Hilltoppers trailed 30-29 with just over five minutes remaining. However, a 21-8 run to close the half gave West Liberty a 50-38 advantage heading into the break.

The Toppers wasted no time asserting control in the second half, opening with a 14-3 surge to stretch their lead to 64-41 by the 17:12 mark. They maintained that cushion to seal the victory.

JJ Harper scored 19 points to lead the Hilltoppers. Dante Spadafora scored 18, Kyler D’Augustino 17 and Kameron Tinsley 16 points.