Murray State
Jacksonville State
-easley1.jpg&height=300&type=webp)
MSU Clinches Share Of OVC Title 75-67 Over JSU
2/13/2010 4:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers clinched a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship Saturday with a 75-67 victory over Jacksonville State at Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Ala.
The Racers have won 21 titles in the OVC as they posted their 15th straight win which is tied with Butler for the longest current winning streak in the nation.
MSU moved their overall mark this season to 24-3 and 15-0 in league play.
Freshman Isaiah Canaan came off the bench and scored 10 points in 10 minutes to give the Racers a 27-20 lead at 8:02.
With MSU leading 42-40 at halftime, JSU answered to take a 48-47 lead with 16:40 remaining.
The Racers responded with baskets by Canaan, Danero Thomas, Ivan Aska, and when Isacc Miles hit a pair of free throws, MSU had a 10-1 run and a 57-49 lead at 10:52.
With their lead whittled to 57-55 at 8:42, Tony Easley scored five straight points and the Racers built a 12-point lead with 5:02 left.
Easley 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 7-of-9 from the free throw line to go with five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Canaan and Isacc Miles each had 12 points, while Ivan Aska led MSU with seven boards to go with four points.
"I'm very proud of our seniors who had a goal of winning a championship," MSU head coach Billy Kennedy said. "We've got many more goals for this season, but it's good to check this one off and move to the next one."
The next goal would be to clinch the title outright and MSU can do Tuesday when they host Southeast Missouri State at the Regional Special Events Center at 7 p.m.
Kennedy knew his team would be in for a tough out against JSU.
"We gave up 40 points in the first half which is way too many," he said. "They were making the effort plays, and you have to give JSU credit, they played hard, but we had a good team effort to get this one."
GAME NOTES
The Racers are part of a group of five teams undefeated in conference play this season. The 15-0 Racers are joined by Butler (Horizon), Morgan State (MEAC), Kansas (Big-12) and Sam Houston (Southland).
MSU's 24 wins is the fifth-best all-time win mark in team history. The best is the 29 wins the 1997-98 squad recorded.
24 wins ties the best for Billy Kennedy as a head coach, matching the 24 he had in 2004-05 at Southeastern Louisiana.
The Racers' 15 straight wins is one shy of tying the 16-game streak they had twice in the 1930"s under MSU's first coach Carlisle Cutchin.
MSU has won eight straight on the road. The program record is 13 set in 1998-99.
