Murray State: 2021-22 Ohio Valley Men's Basketball Champions

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- — Tevin Brown scored 23 points to lead No. 22 Murray State over Morehead State 71-67 on Saturday night, giving the Racers their 20th consecutive victory and the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship.

Tournament MVP Justice Hill added 21 points for the Racers (30-2, 18-0), who shot just 38% from the field but won the rebounding battle 47-31 and had an edge on second-chance points (16-7).

All of it was needed against the defending OVC tournament champion Eagles (23-11, 13-5), who got an MVP-like performance from forward Johni Broome. He shook off an injury to finish with 32 points and eight rebounds on 13-for-20 shooting.

Neither team held more than a two-possession lead for the entire second half. Murray State was up 66-61 with less than 90 seconds to go, before back-to-back 3-pointers from Tray Hollowell kept it within 68-67.

Hollowell finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers, while Ta’lon Cooper added 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Racers had a similar start Saturday night as they did in the quarterfinals the day before against Southeast Missouri State, quickly ripping out to a 12-2 lead. Brown buried back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game.

But the Eagles responded with their own 18-2 run, with four 3s in that stretch.

Murray State and Morehead State were tied at 34 at the half. The Eagles shot 56% in the frame and held the Racers to 33.3%, but the Racers won the rebounding battle 27-11.

This is Murray State’s third conference tournament title under seventh-year coach Matt McMahon. The Racers will move to the Missouri Valley Conference later this year.

BIG PICTURE

Murray State: Most bracketologists have the Racers slated in the 8/9 slot for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. A 20-win streak and an unblemished finish in the OVC might move them into a better seed.

Morehead State: The Eagles looked every bit the part of the defending champs and nearly pulled off the upset, shooting 48% for the game while only turning the ball over nine times.

UP NEXT

Murray State: The 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Morehead State: The Eagles await possible postseason invitations.

Murray State: 2018-19 Ohio Valley Men's Basketball Champions

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Murray State guard Ja Morant was determined to finish the job Saturday night.

With the Racers' NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, the sophomore standout came through in the second half in front of more than 10,000 fans at Ford Center. Morant scored 22 of his 36 points after the break and made all nine of his free throws to give Murray State a 77-65 victory over Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game.

The Racers (27-4) earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament -- the first spot to be taken this year and the team's second consecutive berth under head coach Matt McMahon.

During Friday's semifinal win over Austin Peay, Morant missed five of his 15 free throws. That stuck with the 6-foot-3 point guard.

"I was a little frustrated with myself last night ... I mean, they're free,'' Morant said. "Tonight, I was just locked in and just followed through with all my shots and was able to make them.''

Morant, the OVC Player of the Year, played the entire 40 minutes. He was 13-for-25 shooting and added seven rebounds and three assists. He scored eight successive points down the stretch in the second half to help withstand a rally by Belmont (26-5), which saw its 15-game winning streak end.

After his assist on Tevin Brown's 3-pointer to put the Racers up by six with 56 seconds left, Darnell Cowart drew a charge on the next possession to essentially seal the win.

Murray State outscored the Bruins 11-0 over the final 2:25.

"We found a way to get it done in the second half,'' McMahon said. "I'm just so proud of our team.''

Shaq Buchanan was the primary defender on Belmont sharpshooter Dylan Windler, who had 17 points but was just 1-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Bruins led 31-26 at halftime but allowed the Racers to go on a 14-2 run early in the second half that changed the complexion of the game.

Overall, there were 15 lead changes. Windler had just two points in the first half but turned it on late. He went on a 6-0 personal run and then made a jumper to put the Bruins ahead 63-62 with 3:40 left.

Morant continued to draw contact. He shot more free throws than the Bruins, who were 8-for-11 at the stripe. It was the second matchup this season between the OVC powers. Belmont won the first, 79-66, on the road on Jan. 24.

KEY STATS

Murray State shot 58.6 percent in the second half after a 36.4 percent clip in the first. ... Belmont connected on 7 of 32 from the perimeter (21.8 percent). ... Murray State made more free throws (16) than the Bruins attempted (11). ... It also out-rebounded Belmont 47-31 with three players tallying nine or more. ... The Racers had a 48-32 scoring advantage in the paint.

TRAINERS ROOM

Belmont played without 6-foot-11 center Nick Muszynski, who suffered an ankle injury in Friday's semifinal win over Austin Peay. The OVC Freshman of the Year averages 14.9 points and led the league in field-goal percentage (60.8) and blocks per game (2.2).

UP NEXT

Murray State: The Racers are headed to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time this decade.

Belmont: The Bruins are forced to wait a week until Selection Sunday to learn their fate. They will hold out hope their resume is viewed favorably by the selection committee to be an at-large team. If they land outside of the bubble, they will play in the NIT as the OVC regular-season co-champion.

Murray State: 2018 Ohio Valley Men's Basketball Champions

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Jonathan Stark finished with 24 points and Ja Morant added 15 to give Murray State a 68-51 victory over Belmont on Saturday night in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game.

With the win, the Racers (26-5) became the first team to qualify for the NCAA tournament. They advance for the first time since 2012 and will await to learn their seeding on March 11.

Murray State earned revenge over Belmont, which had won the previous two times the schools met in the OVC title game in 2013 and 2015. The Racers extended their winning streak to 13, the longest in the nation after Michigan State lost to Michigan in the Big Ten Conference tournament semifinal earlier Saturday.

The Racers went on a 16-3 run in the last seven minutes of the game to put it out of reach. Shaq Buchanan connected on a 3-pointer with 3:23 remaining to boost the lead to 62-49. Murray State made seven 3-pointers and shot 43.8 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.

Belmont led 32-29 at halftime after trailing by 12 early in the game. It used a 15-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half to take the lead.

Kevin McClain finished with 17 points, and Dylan Windler had 10 for the Bruins.

BIG PICTURE

Belmont: The Bruins have won at least 20 games each season since they left the Atlantic Sun and joined the OVC in 2013.

Murray State: The Racers matched their highest win total in six years, when they went 31-2 and were the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.

UP NEXT

Belmont: Hoping for an invite to the National Invitation Tournament.

Murray State: NCAA tournament.

Murray State: 2014 College Insider Tournament Champions

MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — Murray State has brought another basketball championship trophy home to Kentucky.

Joining 2012 and 2013 NCAA champions Kentucky and Louisville, the Racers won the CIT title Thursday night with a 65-57 victory over Yale. Murray State's triumph in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament comes two years after it won the Ohio Valley Conference championship, advanced to the NCAA tournament and upset Colorado State before losing to Marquette.

Murray State has been on a good run.

After losing high-scoring guard Isaiah Canaan, the Racers advanced to the OVC semifinals before losing to eventual champion Eastern Kentucky. But Murray State (23-11) rebounded to win five straight in the CIT.

While most of the state is focused on the Kentucky Wildcats in this weekend's Final Four, the Racers are celebrating a title of their own.

"There are only four teams that are going to win a tournament championship this spring; we're one of them and blessed to do so," Murray State coach Steve Prohm said. "We'll take a little bit of time away and get back at it in a couple of weeks."

The Racers can savor being the latest team Kentucky program to add hardware to its trophy case.

The Wildcats face Wisconsin in Saturday night's semifinal in Arlington, Texas, in pursuit of their second NCAA title in three years and ninth overall. Kentucky has rebounded from losing three of five down the stretch to win six of seven in postseason, including last week's defeat of rival and defending champion Louisville at the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis.

The Racers have averaged 25 wins under Prohm, who served the previous five years as an assistant before taking over for Billy Kennedy before the 2011-12 season.

Despite losing 2,000-point scorer Canaan and returning just one senior in guard Dexter Fields, the Racers were picked as OVC West Division co-favorites. They finished second and lost to EKU in the tournament but caught fire in the CIT with an offense that averaged 80 points per game.

Freshman Cameron Payne picked up where Canaan left off, leading the Racers with 19.8 points per contest entering the final, where he scored 24 and Jarvis Williams 16.

Javier Duran had 18 points for Yale (19-14).

Though the CIT title carries a lesser profile than an NCAA or NIT trophy, Murray State takes a lot of pride in winning it. Considering the Racers only lose Fields, he believes they can continue their successful run that has culminated in another championship for the Bluegrass State.

"This feels great," said guard Dexter Fields, the team's lone senior. "Watching these guys grow from November to now, it's been exciting to watch. I'm just excited to watch these guys next year. They came out here and fought their tails off every day in this tournament. I give credit to them."