As long as A.J. Slaughter and Steffphon Pettigrew remain healthy, the western Kentucky Hilltoppers should continue to be a major force in the Sun Belt conference and earn another trip to the NCAA tournament in March.Slaughter, who leads the team in scoring, assists and steals, was on his game Thursday when the Hilltoppers invaded South Alabama, keeping their conference record clean with their second win in as many games with a 67-64 win on overtime. The 6'3" senior point guard led the scoring with 18 points. Pettigrew, a junior forward, complemented the effort with 16 points and 5 boards.
It was the 4th straight win, and 7th in their last 8, for Western Kentucky, who knocked off SEC rival, Mississippi St., 55-52, on Monday. The Hilltoppers lead the Sun Belt's East division with a 2-0 record. They are 9-4 overall.
There were no Top 25 teams in action Thursday.
