WEST LIBERTY, W.Va.  – Dalton Bolon scored 20 points and Will Yoakum added 17 to lead eighth-ranked West Liberty (7-1, 5-0 MEC) to a 96-94 win over Shepherd University (5-3, 2-3 MEC) in MEC men's basketball action at West Liberty on Wednesday night.

Bolon hit on 7-of-17 shots with a 1-of-7 effort from three-point range.  He was 5-of-7 from the line.

Senior guard Derek McKnight (Teaneck, NJ/Gaston (N.C.) Day School/Louisburg CC) led the Rams with a career and game-high 32 points. He connected on 8-of-17 field goals with a 3-of-3 effort from beyond the arc. He drained 13-of-16 free throws.

Senior forward Winston Burgess (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) added 22 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Thomas Lang (New Market, Md./Linganore) and freshman guard Jon Preston (Brandywine, Md./Rock Creek Christian) each tossed in 11 points.

Yahel Hill and Tyler Primmer each had 16 points for the Hilltoppers. Eric Meininger added 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Shepherd had a 43-41 halftime advantage behind 17 first-half points from McKnight.

West Liberty took the lead for good at 47-45 on a jumper by Bolon with 18:35 left in the game. The Hilltoppers built up a 12-point second half lead, but Shepherd rallied to within a point at 92-91 after a free throw by McKnight with 31 seconds remaining. Bolon drained 4-of-4 free throws in the game's final seconds to help secure the win for the Hilltoppers.

Shepherd connected on 44.8 percent (30-67) from the floor with a 33.3 percent (7-21) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit on 90 percent (27-30) of their free throws.

West Liberty shot 43.8 percent (35-80) from the floor with a 30.3 percent effort (10-33) from three-point range. The Hilltoppers shot 69.6 percent (16-23) from the charity stripe.

West Liberty had a 46-43 edge in rebounding. The Rams forced eight turnovers and committed 13.

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they host Wheeling Jesuit for a 4 p.m. contest.