Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Morehead State - Championship
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MSU Wins OVC Tournament - Earns 14th NCAA Bid
3/8/2010 11:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
It was a special time, for a special team and special coach.
The Murray State Racers punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time Saturday when they defeated the Morehead State Eagles 62-51 in the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
The Racers (30-4) broke open a tight game in the second half and a freshman came up big.
With the game tied 31-31 with 10:13 remaining, MSU put together an 11-2 run that gave them a 42-33 lead when Jeffery McClain scored.
After Morehead State cut the lead to seven at 6:18, freshman Isaiah Canaan hit a three-pointer with 5:48 left for a 45-35 lead and moments later at 4:14 he hit another and the Racers had a 10-point lead again.
The lead went to 14 points in the final seconds, before MSU advanced to the NCAA's with a school and OVC record 30 wins.
"It is very humbling to be the head coach at Murray State University and represent a great community and basketball tradition," MSU head coach Billy Kennedy said. "We stepped up tonight when things weren't going well for us, we have a bunch of MVP's on this team and it was a big night for all of us."
Canaan was named the OVC Tournament MVP on a night when he was the only Racer to score in double-figures with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting including 3-of-5 from three-point range. He also added five rebounds.
"I just came into the game and tried to get into the flow of it and not force anything," Canaan said. "The guards on our team are like the engine for a car. We try to get the other guys going and tonight it worked."
Danero Thomas finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, while Tony Easley had seven points and eight rebounds.
Morehead State (23-10) came in as the defending tournament champion and with Kenneth Faried, the OVC's player and defensive player of the year. Faried had 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Demonte Harper scored a game-high 20.
But Murray State held Maze Stallworth scoreless -- well below his average of 12.8 points per game -- and the Eagles to their lowest point total of the season. Stallworth played only 27 minutes and Harper 25 due to foul trouble.
"It is a relief now, and now we're really able to enjoy it," Kennedy added. "We had a great team and for us to have won 30 games is special. It's definitely sinking in, and we're very thankful."
The Racers are the fourth team to gain an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament following Cornell (Ivy), Winthrop (Big South) and East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun).
MSU will wait until Sunday, March 14 to find out their NCAA assignment on Selection Sunday.
GAME NOTES
2010 OVC All-Tournament Team
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State (MVP)
Tony Easley, Murray State
Isacc Miles, Murray State
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
Maze Stallworth, Morehead State
Both teams had trouble handling the ball in the early going as they combined for 12 turnovers in the game's first nine minutes. The Racers settled down and played the final 31 minutes of the game with only three.
There were 12 ties and seven lead changes in the game.
The Racers win their 14th OVC Tournament championship and are going to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time and first since 2006. MSU is 14-9 all-time in OVC title games and 8-3 since 1994.
The Racers also set a school record with their 30th win of the season breaking the mark that the 1997-98 team set with 29 under Coach Mark Gottfried. The Racers were the first team in NCAA DI with 29 and 30 wins.
MSU head coach Billy Kennedy is going to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in his career. He went as an assistant with New Orleans (1986-87), Wyoming (1987-88) and three times with California in the 1990's. He went to the NCAA as a head coach at Southeastern Louisiana (2005-06).
Kennedy now has two single-season win records. Along with MSU's record 30 wins, Kennedy's team at SLU set the single-season record of 24 in 05-06.
Kennedy joins a list of 38 coaches who have taken two teams to the NCAA Tournament. Other names on the list include former Racers' coach Tevester Anderson who has also taken Jackson State to the NCAA's. Two teams the Racers' defeated this season have coaches who have accomplished this feat. Murry Bartow of East Tennessee State (MSU defeated ETSU 61-57 Dec. 12) also took UAB to the NCAA's and Todd Bozeman of Morgan State (MSU won over Morgan State 75-66 Feb. 20) also went to the tournament with California.
