GAME NOTES
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's men's basketball team will look to bounce back after a pair of conference losses to Malone and Walsh as they travel to West Liberty this Saturday to take on the Hilltoppers.
Tip for that contest in West Virginia is set for 4 p.m. in the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex on the campus of West Liberty.
About Ohio Dominican
The Panthers enter this weekend with a 4-8 overall record sitting with a 3-5 non-conference record. This will be the second to last non-conference game for the Panthers on the season as they also host Wright St.-Lake on Saturday, February 8.
The Panthers and Hilltoppers have met twice before, both before the Division II era, with West Liberty defeating the Panthers 87-74 in 1971 and ODU coming out on top 93-77 in 1991.
ODU is led by seniors Hasan Varence (Queens, New York) and Sam Hickey (Toledo, Ohio) who average 18.5 and 16.6 points per game, respectively. Varence also averages 9.5 rebounds per game and his 114 total rebounds leads the conference and is seventh in the country. The senior forward also has six double-doubles this season which also leads the conference and is also seventh in the country. Hickey's 85 three point attempts this season is 26th most in the country and his 28 makes from behind the arc is 72nd in the country. Hickey's free throw percentage of 93.9 leads the conference and is eighth in the country as well.
Freshman Alek West (Sylvania, Ohio) earned his first start of the year last Monday against Walsh and the freshman has averaged 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game with career-highs of 12 points against Missouri-St. Louis and 13 rebounds at Trevecca Nazarene and eight assists against Maryville.
About West Liberty
West Liberty enters the week with a 7-3 overall record and are 3-1 in non-conference games this season. The Hilltoppers just fell out of the NABC top-25 this week and are receiving 18 votes in the latest poll that came out on Tuesday.
Before West Liberty hosts the Panthers, they will host Ohio Valley Thursday evening.
West Liberty has the third ranked scoring offense in the country at 103.7 points per game led by Dalton Bolon at 19.6 points per game and Pat Robinson III at 17.9 points per game. Bolon is also leading the Hilltoppers in rebounds at 7.1 per game. Will Yoakum and Preston Boswell are also averaging double-figures at 15.3 and 12.4 points per game.
The Hilltopper defense forces the fifth most turnovers per game in the country at 21.3 and are second in the country in total steals at 126.
