WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — Blink once, and you may have missed it.

For the first 10 minutes, West Liberty looked like any other men’s college basketball team and held a slim lead over visiting Slippery Rock University in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.

But then as fast as a steal and a layup, as quick as a penetration and pass to the perimeter for a wide-open 3-pointer, things changed and the Hilltoppers showed why they are the No. 1 Division II team in the nation.

It took West Liberty a mere five minutes to turn a 21-17 lead into a 46-22 advantage on the way to a 117-73 dismantling of The Rock Saturday night.

“We watched them on tape, and we knew they were good,” said SRU coach Kevin Reynolds. “In person, they are better.”

Butler High grad Jade Burka summed up the experience of playing against the Hilltoppers succinctly.

“Overwhelming,” he said.

West Liberty doesn’t pound a team into submission with a hammer. Instead, the Hilltoppers slice a team up with precision and wave after wave of shooters and penetrators.

The Rock (21-11) had an answer for neither.

Six Hilltoppers scored in double digits. Reserve Tim Hausfeld, the smallest player on the court at 5-foot-7, came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points. He did most of his damage in the paint, driving to the hoop at will.

“You can’t stop (Hausfeld) inside,” said West Liberty coach Jim Crutchfield, smiling.

West Liberty (30-0) led 60-32 at the half. The Hilltoppers increased that lead to 93-53 with eight minutes left in the game. Crutchfield emptied his bench and saw his reserves outscore The Rock 24-20.

“They just play as a team,” Reynolds said. “This is our 20th game away from home. We thought we were battle tested. But we haven’t played anything like the caliber of team like this. There is a reason why they are 30-0 and, unfortunately, we got to see it from about two feet away.”

The Rock came into this game with very few healthy bodies because of a long season spent grinding away through a difficult league and even more difficult circumstances.

Joe Vines, who came off the bench to score 10 points, played with a balky knee that will require surgery. Devin Taylor played 14 minutes with three broken bones in his foot. Starting guard John Bayardelle will need surgery on his shoulder, and Burka, who scored eight points off the bench, will require foot surgery.

“I don’t think anyone will question our toughness,” Reynolds said.

The Rock also suffered through personal tragedy in December.

Leo King, the brother of SRU assistant men’s basketball coach Jareem Dowling, committed suicide in December. A day later, the father of senior Maron Brown died of a heart attack on his way to work. Later in the month, Taylor’s father and Tommy Kelly’s grandmother died.

“I had just talked to Maron’s parents that morning. They had called to check up on him,” Reynolds said. “Then I had to tell Maron his father had a heart attack. They had a long year. They are very resilient. They were great ambassadors for the University.

Reynolds then turned to Brown and Vines, seated to his left and said, “I’m going to miss you guys.”

Notes: The Rock was playing in its first NCAA tournament game since 1991. ... Brown, who was held to eight points and six rebounds, graduates with 1,312 points and 862 rebounds in three seasons. ... Jabril Bailey led SRU with 12 points and nine rebounds. ... Twelve players scored at least one point for West Liberty, including Grove City High graduate Jordan Fee.

SRU 73John Bayardelle 2-6 4-6 8, Aubin Reeves 3-5 4-8 10, Tommy Kelly 2-8 1-2 5, Maron Brown 4-10 0-0 8, Jabril Bailey 5-9 2-5 12, Devin Taylor 0-2 0-0 0, Rashiid Coleman 2-4 0-1 4, John Bossle 0-1 0-0 0, Jon Valeriano 1-2 0-0 3, Torrance Timothy 2-8 1-4 5, R.J. Rush 0-1 0-0 0, Joe Vines 3-4 4-6 10, Jade Burka 4-6 0-0 8.

Totals: 28-66 16-32 73.

WEST LIBERTY 117Jordan Fortney 2-4 1-4 7, Corey Pelle 6-11 1-2 13, Alex Falk 2-4 6-9 10, Barry Shetzer 4-13 3-3 11, John Wolosinczuk 5-11 5-8 19, Tim Hausfeld 6-11 6-8 20, Mike Lopez 3-3 0-0 9, Jeff Tunetz 0-1 0-2 0, Nick Brown 3-4 0-0 7, Keene Cockburn 1-3 0-0 3, Mark Shadowens 1-2 3-4 5, Jordan Fee 0-1 1-2 1, Chris Morrow 4-8 3-5 12.

Totals: 37-76 29-47 117.

Halftime score: West Liberty 60-32

3-point goals: SRU 1 (Valeriano); West Liberty 14 (Fortnety 2, Wolosinczuk 4, Hausfeld 2, Lopez 3, Brown, Cockburn, Morrow).