WHEELING - West Liberty University men's basketball coach Jim Crutchfield isn't one to dwell much on individual achievements.

However, he got a cheerful smile on his face when informed junior guard Corey Pelle had surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for his career during Wednesday's 91-66 pasting of Millersville in the Main Street Bank Classic at Wheeling Jesuit University.

The maestro of the Hilltoppers offense and one of their key cogs on the defensive end of the floor, Pelle entered the contest seven points shy of the coveted mark. He surpassed that early in the first half and went on to record his third straight double-double with 16 points and 12 assists.

Along with his impressive offensive numbers, Pelle collected five steals as West Liberty's ball-hawking defense forced the usually deliberate Marauders into 25 turnovers.

''He's a highlight film to watch,'' Crutchfield said. ''I'm not real good at that stuff (statistics), but congratulations to Corey

''I'm sure we'll recognize this accomplishment when we get back after the break we have coming up.''

West Liberty, finishing off the 2009 portion of its schedule with a highly satisfying 8-1 record, never trailed while defeating a second straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opponent in as many days during Classic.

In the first 13 minutes Wednesday, the Hilltoppers shot 82 percent from behind the 3-point arc as they rolled into a 35-21 lead. They ended the half having drained 11 of 16 triple attempts.

Entering the second half in front 49-36, West Liberty continued to widen the gap, leading by as many as 29 points (77-48) with a shade less than 5 minutes remaining.

''It's been a great tournament for us,'' reminded Crutchfield, whose team knocked off California (Pa.) in the opening round. ''We got two solid wins against two perennial powers in the PSAC.

''Millersville was doing everything it could to slow the game down. They attempted to run the shot clock whenever they could get set up offensively and sometimes that can be tough to play against.

''But I thought our guys did what they had to do defensively, especially in the second half. We got some steals and we locked down pretty well in the half-court set.''

Leading five players in double figures for the Hilltoppers was junior John Wolosinczuk with 20 points. He also proved to be a force inside, pulling down nine boards as West Liberty outrebounded Millersville (5-4) by a slim 31-29 margin.

Jordan Fortney, 4 of 6 from outside the arc, matched Pelle's total of 16 points, while Mike Mathey added 15 and Zack Craig came off the bench to provide 10 tallies.

Mathey scored the first five points of the game, taking a dish from Pelle for an easy layup and then launching a trey out of the corner that touched nothing but silk. Fortney scored 14 of his total in the opening half, including a pair of 3-pointers wrapped around a Pelle triple as the Hilltoppers broke away from a 16-all tie with 11 straight points.

Zack Craig, who is battling back from injury woes, accounted for seven of his 10 points while getting extended court time in the second half.

''I was pleased that we could expand our rotation and get more people involved. Zach Craig has had a ton of injuries but he's been practicing well. If we keep pushing him, he is someone who definitely can contribute the rest of the season.

Crutchfield is already looking forward to a week from Saturday when the Hilltoppers come off their break to play host to league foe Glenville State.

''We are in great position heading into the new year,'' he pointed out. ''I think we've played a tough schedule. We've got lot of good wins, won some close ones and lost a close one.''

Slippery Rock 110

OUE 92

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Carter Baldwin had 28 points and five rebounds as Ohio Unversity Eastern kept it close for a half before falling to unbeaten Slippery Rock (9-0).

The Panthers (10-5) trailed 51-42 at halftime but couldn't keep up the pace, despite an additional 25 points and six rebounds from Jason Shaw. Zach Tolzda added 14 points and five steals, while Steve Luckhardt had 11 points and five rebounds.

Bethany 85

Pitt-Greensburg 60

BETHANY - Brooke product Jay Lyonett hit six 3-pointers and tied his career high with 22 points as Bethany (7-3) slammed Pitt-Greensburg (5-5) for its fifth consecutive victory.

Jonas Ankrom added 13 points for the Bison, while Joe Testa adde 11 points and eight rebounds. David Opalka had 11 points and four assists.