Mobile, AL -- (Sports Network) - Jeremy Evans scored 16 points as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers trounced the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans, 70-55, to advance to the Sun Belt Conference championship.

Awaiting Western Kentucky is Middle Tennessee, which upset top-seeded South Alabama, 82-73, in the other Sun Belt semifinal showdown. The Hilltoppers will battle the Blue Raiders on Tuesday night at The Mitchell Center.

Tyrone Brazelton tallied 15 points and reeled in six rebounds for the Hilltoppers (26-6), who have triumphed in five consecutive contests. Ty Rogers and Courtney Lee contributed 12 points apiece, as Western Kentucky will compete for its sixth conference crown. The third-seeded Hilltoppers came off a first-round bye to defeat North Texas, 84-70, on Sunday.

Steven Moore provided 12 points while dishing out five assists for Arkansas- Little Rock (20-11), which had a five-game win streak stopped to end its season. Matt Mouzy also added 12 points in the loss, which eliminated the opportunity for the second-seeded Trojans to earn their first Sun Belt championship. Arkansas-Little Rock beat Florida Atlantic, 66-60, on Sunday, after having a first-round bye to begin the tourney.

Playing in different divisions within the conference, these teams met just once during the regular season, with the Hilltoppers taking a lopsided 71-47 win at home at the end of January. Following Monday's tilt, WKU owns a 28-10 advantage in the all-time series.

After the intermission, UALR used a 9-3 spurt to close the gap to six points. Mouzy buried a bucket from beyond the arc, and the Trojans trailed 46-40 at the midway mark of the second stanza.

That, however, was as close as Arkansas-Little Rock came to overtaking Western Kentucky, as the Hilltoppers responded by ripping off a 13-4 run. When Boris Siakam sunk a layup with 5:38 to play, WKU earned its largest lead of the affair to that point, 59-44, putting the game well out of the Trojans' reach.

Down the stretch, the Hilltoppers had their way with the Trojans, going on top by as many as 20 points before the final buzzer sounded.

In the first frame, Arkansas-Little Rock was on top, 13-12, before Western Kentucky ignited with a 15-4 flurry. Brazelton drained a jumper with 2:25 remaining, as the Hilltoppers surged ahead, 27-17.

The Trojans put a basket on the board before the end of the half, and they were down 27-19 heading into the locker room.