A.J. Slaughter and Sergio Kerusch each scored 21 points to lead Western Kentucky to a 79-68 victory over Arkansas State on Thursday night.
Western Kentucky (14-12, 7-6 Sun Belt Conference) led 40-32 after the first half.
The Red Wolves (14-10, 9-4) battled throughout the second half, but were unable to cut the Hilltoppers' lead to less than eight.
Slaughter scored 15 of his points in the second half and added a game-high seven assists. Jeremy Evans had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Steffphon Pettigrew added 11 points.
The Hilltoppers shot 51.8 percent from the field (29-for-56), compared to Arkansas State's 42.2 percent (27-for-64).
Western Kentucky led by as many as 15 points.
The Red Wolves' bench outscored the Hilltoppers' bench 27-7.
Brandon Reed led Arkansas State with 20 points and Daniel Bryant contributed 15 off the bench.
