Road Woes Continue – Racers Fall At TTU – Will Be 5th Seed at OVC Tournament

Saturday, February 27

Cookeville, Tenn.

8 p.m.

Murray State

13-12,10-10OVC

Tennessee Tech

5-22,5-15OVC

Murray St.

Tennessee Tech

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

Road Woes Continue – Racers Fall At TTU – Will Be 5th Seed at OVC Tournament

2/27/2021 7:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)2021 OVC Tournament Bracket

Chico Carter, Jr., scored a career-high 27 points, but the Racers couldn’t get the win after a second half comeback

The Murray State Racers finished the 2020-21 regular season Saturday with a 71-61 loss to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at the Eblen Center in Cookeville, Tenn.

The Racers (13-12) found the going tough in the final week with a Thursday loss at Jacksonville State and this one to Tech. MSU finishes with a record of 10-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference. After the 20-game league schedule was nearly all played, the Racers earned the No. 5 seed in next week's OVC Tournament that takes place at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. MSU will take on No. 4 seed Jacksonville State in a 7 p.m. tip Thursday.

Chico Carter, Jr. scored a career-high 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting to lead the Racers, while KJ Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds. Tevin Brown was limited to five points, but led the Racers with six assists. Justice Hill added five assists off the bench.

Trailing 34-31 at the end of the first half, the Racers saw Tech hit a burst of a 7-0 run to put MSU down by 10 at 44-34 with 16:59 remaining. Facing the largest deficit of the game, the Racers responded with a 15-3 run to tie the game 49-49 with 11:03 remaining. However, Tech had another run in their bag at 13-2 and went back in front by 12 at 65-53 with 4:30 left. The Racers never got any closer than eight points the rest of the way.

The field for the 58th Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship Presented by Kentucky Wild was set before the Racers tipped at Tech. When Austin Peay lost at Jacksonville State, the Racers were locked into the No. 5 seed to face the No. 6 seed JSU in their second game in a week. This year marks the fourth-straight year the event has been held at the Ford Center, which opened in 2011 in Evansville.

Thursday will be a Racer doubleheader day at the Ford Center. The MSU women's team is the No. 6 seed and will take on No. 3. Southeast Missouri State at 3:30 p.m. with the Racer men against JSU to follow at 7 p.m.

Both games will be televised by ESPN+.

Here is the OVC Tournament schedule for the men's bracket at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

2021 OVC Men's Basketball Championship Presented by Kentucky Wild (Ford Center - Evansville, Ind.)
First Round - Wednesday, March 3
Game 1 - #1 Belmont vs. #8 SIUE, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2 - #2 Morehead State vs. #7 Southeast Missouri, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

First Round - Thursday, March 4
Game 3 - #4 Jacksonville State vs. #5 Murray State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4 - #3 Eastern Kentucky vs. #6 Austin Peay, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Semifinals - Friday, March 5
Game 5 - Game 1 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner, 7:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 6 - Game 2 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Championship - Saturday, March 6
Game 7 - Semifinal Winners, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2/Westwood One)
All Times Central

This year the OVC has followed guidance from the NCAA and the OVC Medial Advisory Group and worked extensively with the Mayor's Reopen Evansville Task Force, the Vanderburgh County Health Department, Deaconess Hospital and the Ford Center to put into place additional health and safety protocols to keep the participants, workers and fans safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the protocols are masks being required for all attendees in addition to spectator seating being limited and divided into socially-distanced pods. For complete details visit www.OVCSports.com/Protocols.

Additionally, as part of an ongoing commitment to safety and security, aligning with the best practices at major entertainment and athletics venues, there is now a "Clear Bag Policy" in effect at the Ford Center. Fans are encouraged to visit www.OVCSports.com/ClearBag for complete details on the policy.

Check GoRacers.com for the latest basketball schedule information
Men's Schedule
Women's Schedule

Follow the Racers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and on the web at GoRacers.com.