EVANSVILLE, Ind. - West Liberty prides itself on playing with heart and all-out effort.

For 40 minutes Saturday afternoon, on the biggest stage in NCAA Division II basketball, the Hilltoppers played that way against Central Missouri.

But in the end, heart and effort weren't enough for the seventh-ranked Hilltoppers, who lost 84-77 to Central Missouri in the national championship game at the Ford Center.

West Liberty (31-4) was hoping to win its first title in program history. Instead, it was the 20th-ranked Mules hoisting the trophy for the first time since 1984.

"Our guys played as hard as they could," West Liberty coach Jim Crutchfield said. "They played with a lot of heart. That helps you win games a lot of times, but it hurts when you lose because you lay it all on the line. It's difficult to take."

The Hilltoppers led 39-37 at halftime, and with seven minutes remaining the back-and-forth battle was tied at 68 after Cedric Harris knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the score for the 14th time.

But Daylen Robinson, the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, drilled his third consecutive 3-pointer to put the Mules in front 71-68.

West Liberty got as close as two at 73-71 with 3:40 to go after a layup by Shawn Dyer, but the Mules pulled away down the stretch and then celebrated on the floor as blue and silver confetti was shot out of guns.

"It hurts right now," said Harris, a senior All-American guard. "They made big shots down the stretch. It's a tough loss for us."

Harris scored 18 points and Dyer led the Hilltoppers with 19 points to go along with seven rebounds. Dyer tried to keep West Liberty's title hopes alive in the final minute as he forced a turnover.

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West Liberty comes up short in title game