BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) -A.J. Slaughter had 10 of his 22 points in the final five minutes and Western Kentucky rallied to beat North Texas 71-67 on Saturday night.
The Hilltoppers (14-7, 8-2 Sun Belt Conference) trailed 34-25 at halftime and took their first lead with 2:30 left in the game on a Slaughter 3-pointer.
The Mean Green (12-9, 5-5) regained a one-point edge on Dominique Johnson's runner in the lane with 50 seconds left. Then Jeremy Evans scored for the Hilltoppers, Collin Dennis' potential game-typing shot fell short and Sergio Kerusch's free throws sealed the win for Western Kentucky.
The Hilltoppers had nine turnovers and 4-for-12 free-throw shooting in the first half, but shot 58.3 percent from the field (14 of 24) in the second half.
Steffphon Pettigrew added 15 points for the Hilltoppers.
Johnson led the Mean Green with 18 points.
