West Liberty University senior standout Corey Pelle was named to the 2011 NCAA Division II Elite Eight All-Tournament Team Saturday afternoon.
Pelle earned a spot on the team with a pair of dazzling performances during the No. 1-ranked Hilltoppers’ first Elite Eight appearance.
The West Liberty All-American scored 21 points and handed out 9 assists to spark the Hilltoppers’ 113-95 victory against Anderson (S.C.) in Wednesday’s national quarterfinals.
Pelle followed that up with a season-high 32-point night in Thursday’s semifinals but his efforts weren’t quite enough to help West Liberty avoid its only loss of the season, a heartbreaking 110-101 setback against a hot-shooting BYU-Hawaii squad.
The Hilltoppers’ speedy backcourt ace was one of only five players selected for the All-Tournament Team, which was announced at the conclusion of Saturday’s national championship game between Bellarmine (Ky.) and BYU-Hawaii.
Bellarmine held on for a 71-68 victory to claim the school’s first NCAA Division II title.
Joining Pelle on the 2011 Elite Eight All-Tournament Team were the Bellarmine tandem of Justin Benedetti and Jeremy Kendle; BYU-Hawaii’s Jet Chang and Jefferson Mason of Minnesota State, a semifinal loser to Bellarmine.
Chang, who almost singlehandedly knocked West Liberty out of the tournament with a career-high 43 points on Thursday night, battled foul trouble throughout the second half of Saturday’s title tilt but still tossed in a game-high 35 points to lock up the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award.