W. Kentucky 77, North Texas 70

Published Mar. 10, 2009 2:50 a.m. ET

foxsports

A.J. Slaughter scored 22 points, including a pair of big 3-pointers in the final five minutes that sent Western Kentucky to a 77-70 victory over North Texas in the Sun Belt semifinals Monday night. North Texas (20-12) tied the game at 58 on Adam McCoy's 3-pointer with just over five minutes remaining. Slaughter answered immediately with two 3s of his own to make it 64-58 and rescue the top-seeded Hilltoppers (23-8) during a poor night of outside shooting. Slaughter's shots started a 10-0 run that Sergio Kerusch capped with a three-point play inside. Kerusch led Western Kentucky with 23 points, and Jeremy Evans added 12. Dominique Johnson scored 20 points for the Mean Green. Western Kentucky finished 4-of-19 from 3-point range.