Photo Provided The West Liberty Hilltoppers celebrate a D-II Atlantic Region championship over Gannon on Tuesday, March 18. The Hilltoppers are set to face Cal State Dominguez Hills in the NCAA Division II Elite 8 on Tuesday.

WEST LIBERTY — The West Liberty University men’s basketball team is set to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills in the NCAA Division II Elite 8 on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.

Making their eighth national quarterfinal appearance, the second-seeded Hilltoppers (30-4) have won 15 of their last 16 games. Their opponent, seventh-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills (28-5), is making its first-ever trip to the Elite 8 after upsetting top-seeded Point Loma, 61-58, in the West Regional Final.

Head coach Ben Howlett knows the Toros present a unique challenge.

“They are more of a half-court team, but everyone on their team can shoot the ball from the perimeter,” he said.

The Toros enter the matchup riding a seven-game winning streak. They average 77 points per game while holding opponents to just 69.1. As a team, they are shooting 44.6% from the field, 32.9% from three-point range, and 75.3% from the free-throw line. Four players average double figures for CSUDH: Jeremy Dent-Smith (18.4 ppg); Adam Afifi (13.7 ppg); David Cheaton (10.9 ppg) and Alex Garcia (10.5 ppg).

A key storyline in the matchup will be CSUDH’s defensive prowess versus WLU’s high-powered offense. The Toros have yet to allow an opponent to reach 100 points this season, while the Hilltoppers lead the nation in scoring (101 ppg) and have eclipsed the century mark in eight of their last 10 games, including the Atlantic Regional Final. WLU also set a new single-game scoring record this season with 162 points against Salem on Feb. 26.

The Hilltoppers are led in scoring by Kyler D’Augustino (17.1 ppg) and JJ Harper (15.7 ppg). Harper is also the top rebounder at 5.2. Leaders in assists are Finley Woodward (4.8 apg) and Lanyc Shuler (4.0 apg).

While West Liberty has plenty of tournament experience as a program, this year’s roster is relatively new to the big stage.

“We have two guys that played the last time (2023), and that’s Dante and Fin,” Howlett said. “Everyone else is brand new, but there is an excitement level with those guys. I can feel it.”

Howlett credits his team’s depth as a major reason for their success. “All ten guys have contributed this year, but two guys that have really stepped up are Lanyc (Shuler) and Fin (Woodward),” he said. “For Fin, the game has slowed down for him, and Lanyc — I think he’s just finally comfortable in our system.”

National Rankings & Tournament History

West Liberty leads the nation in turnover margin (+8.7) and ranks second in scoring (101 ppg), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0), and assists per game (22.6). The Hilltoppers are also top 10 in:

–Three-pointers made per game: 3rd (12.1)

–Three-point attempts per game: 4th (32.5)

–Turnovers forced per game: 4th (19.7)

–Bench points: 6th (37.3)

–Fastbreak points: 6th (20.8)

–Steals: 10th (10.7)

West Liberty boasts a 38-15 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play, including 19-1 at the ASRC. This marks the Hilltoppers’ record-setting 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance (17th overall). They have won the Atlantic Region Championship eight times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2023, 2025) and have hosted the regional tournament seven times.

Howlett is embracing the moment this time around.

“The last time we were there, I really never stopped to enjoy it. I was always focused on the next game,” he admitted. “I’ve really tried to enjoy things a little more when we get to Evansville. I probably quit doing that and just focus on the next game, but I’m just really excited to get there and compete.”

West Liberty looks to continue its dominant postseason run as they battle for a spot in the national semifinal.