On March 23 the West Liberty University (WLU) Men’s Basketball

team competed in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division II Elite

Eight Semifinal against Black Hills State in Evansville, Indiana at 2 p.m.

Prior to the semi finals, the Hilltoppers took down University of New Haven on,

March 21 in the Elite Eight Quarterfinal with the final score being 95 to 58.

Number 5 seeded Hilltoppers went head to head in a close fighting match against the Number 15 seeded Black Hills State. The final score being a hard fought 87-82.

Following the game Coach Ben Howlett expressed that “I’m proud of the way our guy’s

battled adversity today. They never panicked even when things weren’t going the way

and as a result, we have a chance to play for a national championship on Saturday. We’ll

let them enjoy this win tonight and start working on Nova Southeastern tomorrow”.

This was Coach Howletts 18 consecutive win.

The Hilltoppers faced off against Nova Southeastern in Evansdale on March 25th, 2023 in the NCAA D-II National Championships resulting in a hard fought loss of 101-111. The Hilltoppers finished their season with a with a record of 33-4 and are eager to get that championship title next season!