West Liberty, W.Va. – Dan Monteroso tallied 25 points to lead top-ranked West Liberty University to a 76-53 victory over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team on Saturday evening in non-conference action at the Academic Sports & Recreation Complex.

Junior guard Russell Sangster (Rockville, Md./Bullis School) and sophomore guard C.J. Asuncion-Byrd (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich/St. Thomas More/Gannon) each scored 11 points in the loss for the Dolphins, while Sangster grabbed eight rebounds and Asuncion-Byrd dished out three assists.

Monteroso, in his first year with the Hilltoppers after playing football for three seasons at Division I Purdue University, recorded 15 of his points in the first half, while also pulling down seven rebounds. Devin Hoehn, who has almost 1500 points in his career, recorded 11 points, while David Dennis and Brady Arnold each scored 10 points.

The teams went back and forth throughout the first half with neither team taking more than a five-point lead.

West Liberty, which entered the game averaging 113 points per game, took an 11-9 lead before Sangster hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Dolphins their first two-point lead of the game. Monteroso made a jumper and then Dennis converted a foul shot to give the Hilltoppers a 14-13 lead before senior forward Stan Buczek (Port Jervis, N.Y./Burke Catholic) made a jumper and junior guard Tanner Hyland (South Portland, Maine/South Portland/Bridgton Academy) hit two free throws for a 17-14 lead with 6:52 left in the half.

After Monteroso tied the score with a jumper with 5:09 to go, junior guard Anthony Richards (New Castle, Pa./New Castle/West Virginia Wesleyan) buried a three-pointer and junior forward Daniel Kaigler (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden/Gannon) hit a jumper for Le Moyne's largest lead of the game, 22-17, with 4:12 remaining in the half.

West Liberty, which advanced to the NCAA semifinals last year after defeating Northeast-10 member Stonehill in the NCAA quarterfinals, countered with seven straight points to regain the lead. Hoehn drained a three-pointer, Monteroso made a jumper and then converted two foul shots for a 24-22 edge with 2:46 to go.

Le Moyne answered with five points in 44 seconds to take the lead back. Richards knocked down a three-pointer and then Hyland made two foul shots.

Monteroso nailed a three-pointer with 45 seconds left in the stanza to even the score at 27.

West Liberty scored the first 13 points of the second half to take control of the game. Monteroso made a pair of jumpers around a Dennis free throw, Brandon Smith drilled a three-pointer, Monteroso recorded a conventional three-point play and then Arnold hit a jump shot.

Following three points by junior guard Tyree Chambers (Bayreuth, Germany/Graf-Münster Gymnasium/Providence) around a three-pointer by Hoehn, the Hilltoppers tallied nine straight points. Monteroso started the streak with three free throws over two trips to the line, Dennis recorded a three-point play and then Hoehn nailed a three-pointer for a 52-30 lead with 11:27 remaining.

The Dolphins recorded seven of the next 11 points to get within 56-37 with 9:24 to play. Asuncion-Byrd had all seven points on four free throws and a three-pointer.

West Liberty answered with seven consecutive points to take a game-high 26-point lead. Dennis made a free throw, Arnold hit a jumper and two free throws and then Zak Kirkbride made a jumper for a 63-37 advantage with 7:38 left.

After junior forward Isaiah Eisendorf (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook/Gannon) and Arnold traded three-pointers, the Dolphins tallied nine of the next 10 points to get within 67-49 with 5:26 remaining. Chambers started the streak with a jumper and then Sangster scored seven consecutive points over three possessions.

The teams alternated points over the remainder of the game.

Le Moyne (4-2), which played its first-ever game in West Virginia, returns to Northeast-10 Conference action on Wednesday at The College of Saint Rose at 7:30 p.m.