HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Western Kentucky University's (21-12) senior starting backcourt of Anthony Sally and AJ Slaughter knocked down three clutch three-pointers in the final 2:18 to cap an intense late-game Hilltopper comeback, lifting WKU past a young, but game, Arkansas State (17-14) team 65-64 on Sunday evening at Summit Arena. Winners of eight-straight, it marked the third win for WKU over the Red Wolves in the past 24 days.

WKU improves to 15-3 all-time in the quarterfinal round, advancing to their 18th semifinal in 28 years of Sun Belt affiliation.

Trailing by eight with just 6:36 to play, Jeremy Evans got a key offensive put back of missed Steffphon Pettigrew three-pointer, making it 60-54. It was the first second chance points of the night for the Toppers who lost that statistical category 17-4.

After Slaughter converted a pair of free throws with 5:36 on the clock to trim the deficit to four, 60-56, Brandon Reed sliced to the bucket for what would be the Red Wolves' final field goal over the next 5:15. Reed, the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, finished with 17 points and six assists.

With neither team able to convert on the offensive end over the ensuing two minutes, Evans, a Crossett, Ark. native, came up big on the defensive end, blocking back-to-back shots by Martavius Adams with less than three minutes to play, giving the Toppers that final push to finish the comeback. Evans, WKU's career blocked shots leader, finished with six points and three blocks.

Adams was a force inside for Arkansas State, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the final frame.

Following the second Evans' block of Adams, with the shot clock winding down inside of 10 seconds, Sally drilled his first three since January 18 (a span of 16 games), cutting the deficit to 62-59 with 2:18 to play. A defensive stop by WKU set up another storybook Slaughter trey as he drained a shot from well beyond the three-point line with 1:28 to play to tie the game at 62-62.

Trey Finn stepped to the line for a crucial one-and-one with 58.2 ticks left, but after a miss and a Sergio Kerusch rebound, it was Slaughter striking again, connecting on the game-winning three-pointer with 25.0 seconds left to put WKU back in front for the first time since the start of the second half, 65-62.

Evans was called for a goaltend on a Adams shot with 7.8 left, the first Arkansas State points in over five minutes. Slaughter missed the front end of his one-and-one, but Rashad Allison's rushed lay-up as time expired did not fall.

Slaughter, who scored 21 in a big overtime road win at ASU on February 20, again torched the Red Wolves, this time for 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go with four assists in 39 minutes. Pettigrew contributed 13 points while Sally finished with eight points and a career-best eight assists.

WKU lost the battle of the boards 37-24, but made up for the difference with pressure, forcing five more turnovers resulting in a 23-14 advantage in points off those miscues.

The first half was one of runs, with WKU scoring the first nine points of the game, then extending the spread to 19-6 on a Slaughter jumper with 13:06 on the clock. The Hilltoppers drew four charges in the opening nine minutes and shot 9-of-14 from the field. But after leading by 14, at 35-21 on a Caden Dickerson trey with 3:59 remaining, Reed scored nine-straight, part of an 11-0 run to close the final 3:23 of the half and reduce the deficit to 35-32 at the break.

Brandon Peterson's fall-away jumper from 10-feet in the opening 90 seconds of the final frame capped what turned into a 15-0 run. It would grow to 30-7 for Arkansas State on a Finn three with 13:30 left as the lead ballooned to nine, 51-42.

WKU, now 11-1 versus their half of the bracket, advances to Monday's first semifinal of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament and will face top-seeded Troy at 6:00 PM CT at Summit Arena. The Hilltoppers split their regular season series with the Trojans, falling 77-69 at Troy on January 21 while willing 87-69 at Diddle Arena on February 6. WKU is 11-7 all-time in the semifinal round.