SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va.  –  Dalton Bolon scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead eighth-ranked West Liberty (16-2, 12-1  MEC) to an 84-76 win over Shepherd University (10-9, 6-7 MEC)  in MEC men's basketball action at the Butcher Center on Wednesday night.

Bolon hit on 7-of-18 field goals with a 3-of-9 effort from three-point range. He drained 6-of-7 free throws.

Senior guard Derek McKnight (Teaneck, N.J./Gaston (N.C.) Day School/Louisburg CC) had 18 points and five assists to lead the Rams. Junior guard Malik Sanders (Voorhees, N.J./Holy Family) added 14 points behind a 4-of-7 effort from beyond the arc.

Junior guard Thomas Lang (New Market, Md./Linganore)  had 13 points and six assists, while senior forward Winston Burgess (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) was in double figures with 11 points. Burgess (1,004) went over the 1,000-point mark for his career.

Sophomore forward Kyle Daggett (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) grabbed a team and career-high 12 rebounds.

Yahel Hill added 14 points for West Liberty. Marlon Moore, Jr. had 12 points, while Eric Meininger scored nine points and hauled down eight boards.

The game was tied at halftime, 35-35.

The contest featured 14 lead changes and eight ties. West Liberty took the lead for good on at 54-51 on a three-pointer by Bolon with 13:32 left. Shepherd rallied late to get to within two points at 78-76 after a pair of free throws by Burgess with 21 seconds remaining, but West Liberty drained 6-of-6 free throws in the final seconds to gain the win.

Shepherd connected on 45 percent (27-60) from the floor with a 38.7 percent (12-31) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit on 66.7 percent (10-15) of their free throws.

West Liberty shot 43.9 percent (29-66) from the floor with a 35.3 percent effort (12-34) from three-point range. The Hilltoppers shot 87.5 percent (14-16) from the charity stripe.

West Liberty had a 40-35 edge in rebounding. The Rams forced 12 turnovers and committed 12.

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