Murray State
Austin Peay
Racers Earn 12th OVC Tourney Title With 66-60 Win Over APSU; MSU To Make 12th NCAA Tournament Appearance
3/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Senior forward Cuthbert Victor led three Racers scoring in double figures as No. 2 seeded Murray State won its 12th Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title after a 66-60 triumph over No. 1 seeded Austin Peay today at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. With the win, MSU earns the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and is set to make the program's 12th NCAA appearance.
MSU (28-5) will learn its NCAA Tournament opponent, the location and the date of the first round game on March 14 during the NCAA Selection Show.
Victor, named the 2004 OVC Tournament's Most Valuable Player, had 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, nine rebounds and three assists. The 6-5 native of the Virgin Islands becomes the first player since MSU's Marcus Brown to sweep both the OVC regular-season Player of the Year Award and the OVC Tournament MVP award.
Junior guard Adam Chiles, named to the OVC All-Tournament Team, added 12 points and three assists in his third game back after recovering from a dislocated shoulder suffered on Feb. 14. Senior forward Antione Whelchel, the third Racer player named to the All-Tournament team, chipped in with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Racers opened the game with a quick start and jumped out to leads of 6-0 and 10-4 before the Governors (21-9) bounced back to gain their first lead of the night at 17-15 on a Josh Lewis dunk with 9:38 left in the first half.
APSU pushed its lead out to as much as seven at 24-17 on a Rhet Wierzba three-pointer with 6:34 left, before MSU closed the first half with a strong 17-3 run and a 31-27 halftime advantage. Chiles, a native of Louisville, Ky., started the Racers' run with a layup at the 6:19 mark, while senior guard Rick Jones capped the run with a baseline jumper with just :03 seconds to go.
The second half featured several runs by the Govs, but APSU never could regain the lead after pulling even on three occasions at 33-33 with 15:56 to go, 35-35 with 15:23 to go and at 53-53 with 4:27 left in the game. MSU responded to the final tie with a 5-0 run sparked by a Chiles three-point play and a Whelchel layup.
The Govs pulled back to within three at 58-55 after a pair of free throws by Maurice Hampton following a technical foul on the Racers' Kelvin Brown. However, the Govs weren't able to capitalize on the opportunity with the ball after the MSU defense came up with a huge stop on the ensuing possession. The Racers converted 6-of-6 free throws over the final 1:01 to hold on for their 10th OVC Tournament title in the last 17 seasons.
MSU finished at 49.1 percent from the field on 26-of-53 shooting while holding the Govs to just 35.6 percent on 21-of-59 shooting. The team's tied in the rebounding war at 35-35, while the Racers' bench outscored APSU's 28-8.
NOTES:
-- Victor adds the latest accomplishment of OVC Tournament MVP to his OVC Player of the Year Award, First-Team All-OVC Award and NABC District 7 First-Team Award.
-- With their 66-60 win today, MSU increases their lead in the all-time series to 67-35.
-- The loss to the Racers ends the Govs' 24-game winning streak against OVC competition dating back to last season.
-- MSU is now 4-1 all-time against APSU in OVC Tournament title games. Today's win avenges the Racers' 63-56 loss at APSU on Feb. 14 in Clarksville, Tenn.
