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Glenville State University Athletics

OFFICIAL ATHLETICS SITE OF THE GLENVILLE STATE PIONEERS
MBB Preview Vs. West Lib Away 2022-23
Lex Shaffer

Glenville State Men’s Basketball Set to Face No. 9 West Liberty

1/5/2023 5:13:00 PM

By: Lex Shaffer
Glenville, W.Va. - Glenville State Men's Basketball team his the road to face the No.9 Hilltoppers of West Liberty. The Pioneers are looking for their first win against the Toppers since the 2014-15 season. West Liberty sits atop the Mountain East Conference standings with a one-game lead over West Virginia State.

A Look at West Liberty 

West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a (12-1) overall record and (7-0) in conference play. The Hilltopper's closest game this season came against West Virginia State who was ranked 21st in the country at the time. WLU is coming off a 113-97 victory over Concord last Wednesday.

Ben Howlett enters his sixth season under the helm at West Liberty. While Howlett has been head coach the Hilltopper have gone (140-22). Last season's NCAA Tournament appearance marked West Liberty's fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament.

As a team, the Toppers have the #1 offense in the MEC scoring 100 points per game. West Liberty also attempts the most threes in all of Division II averaging 33.5 per contest. The Hilltopper's press this season has caused problems for opponents. On average the press is forcing just shy of 20 turnovers which is fourth in the nation.

Bryce Butler leads the Hilltoppers in scoring this season averaging 23.5 points per contest. So far during the 2022-23 campaign Butler has scored 20 or more points 11 times. The Junior from Latrobe, Pa. also has been the leading rebounder for West Liberty producing 7.0 per game. Christain Montague through 13 games has been the Topper's best distributor accounting for 3.9 assists per contest.

A Look at Your Pioneers

The Pioneers enter Saturday's contest with a (7-5) overall record and (4-3) in league play. Coach Caldwell's squad is coming off an impressive win over Wheeling where the team shot 58% from the field and 44% from three. Jordan Turbo Smith scored 20 or more points for the sixth time this season.

As a team, Glenville continues to have a top offense in the conference. Through 12 games the Pioneers are producing 88.3 points per contest ranking them fourth in the league. Coach Caldwell's squad also has been superb rebounders on the offensive end. The Pioneers lead the MEC in offensive rebounds per game with 14.3 and rank seventh nationally.

Jordan Turbo Smith leads the team in scoring through 12 games averaging 19.2 points per game. Both Freddie Word and Jacquez Yow are close behind producing 16.1 points per contest. Yow a native of Newport News, Va. has been solid on the defensive end as well. So far this season he is averaging 6.2 rebounds a game and 1.5 blocks. Redshirt Freshman Jaelin Johnson offensively has started to find his rhythm shooting 61.1% from the field.

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