Racers Top SEMO In OVC Tournament In Semifinals

Friday, March 4

Evansville, Ind.

7 p.m.

Murray State

29-2,18-0OVC

Southeast Missouri

14-18,8-9OVC

Southeast Mo. St.

Murray St.

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

3/4/2022 11:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Murray State Racers began the game on a 17-1 run and never looked back at the Ford Center

The Murray State Racers advanced to the finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Friday with an 88-74 win over the Southeast Missouri Redhawks at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

The win for the top-seeded Racers (29-2) and ranked No. 22 in the national polls, pushed their winning streak to 19 as they lead all of NCAA D-I with 29 wins.

The Racers go for their 18^th OVC Tournament win and the same in NCAA trips Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. game against third seed Morehead State who defeated second seed Belmont 53-51 in the second semifinal Friday night in Evansville.

Murray State's dynamic duo, Tevin Brown and KJ Williams, came up big in their sixth career OVC postseason game with 29 and 26 points respectively. Their combined 55 points came from hitting 19-of-33 from the field for 57 percent and 7-of-13 from the 3-point line for 538 percent. Justice Hill scores 10 points and dished out five assists. Williams grabbed 11 rebounds to mark his 11^th double-double this season.

The Racers began the game red hot from the field and made 12 of the first 14 shots they took to go in front 17-1 and then 28-11 only eight minutes into the contest. MSU capped the first half with an 11-4 run in the final 1:49 to lead at the intermission 51-31. The second half saw MSU built their largest lead of the game when they led SEMO 71-44 with 09:59 remaining.

MSU ended up shooting 54 percent (30-of-56) from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line (8-of-20) and 20-of-30 from the free throw line for 67 percent.

Game Notes

MSU topped 50 percent shooting for the eighth time this season in OVC play.
MSU's 30 free throw attempts marked the fourth time this season with 30 or more. Their season high is 35 vs Middle Tennessee.
The Racers are now 73-39 (.651) all-time in the OVC Tournament.
Dating back to 2017, the Racers are 8-3 in the OVC Tournament.
The Racers are 30-16 (.652) all-time in the semifinals.
The Racers advance to play in their 31ST OVC championship game where they are 17-13 (.580).
In their first meeting with SEMO in the OVC Tournament since 2005, MSU is now 2-2 all-time against SEMO.
Williams' 29 points is tied with Isaiah Canaan (2013) and Ja Morant (2019) for the sixth-best scoring game in MSU history in the OVC Tournament. The 42-points Isaac Spencer scored against Tennessee State (2001) remains MSU's top game.
With his 26 points tonight, Tevin Brown has scored 109 points in six OVC Tournament games for a scoring average of 18.1 KJ Williams scored 29 points tonight and has 94 points in six games for an average of 15.6
MSU is now 67-21 all-time against SEMO.
In three wins this season against SEMO, the Racers have outscored the Redhawks 264-223.
Brown has made a 3-pointer in 27 consecutive games. The last time he failed to make at least one three was against ETSU (Nov. 22).
Brown continues to extend his record for made 3-point baskets in the OVC. After a 3-of-7 today, he has 345.
McMahon's outstanding success for the Racers now has him at 152-66 (.697) in seven seasons and 93-31 (.752) in OVC games. In his last five seasons, McMahon's Racers are an incredible 119-35 (.773).
Tonight's game was MSU's 46th all-time game as a ranked team. MSU is #22 this week in the Associated Press and USA Today Top-25.
MSU's win streak of 19 in a row is the best in NCAA D-I. MSU's longest program winning streak is also the OVC record of 25-straight by the 2014-15 team.
The Racers have the most wins of any team in the nation with 29.

Ford Center Clear Bag Policy
There is a clear bag policy at the OVC Tournament. 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.

Racer Basketball Legacy Fund
The new fundraising initiative invites Racer supporters to have a lasting impact on the Murray State men's and women's basketball programs. Those interested in learning more about how you can support the Racer Basketball Legacy Fund initiative may contact Director of Development-Athletics, Taylor Mudd at (270) 809-3517 or tmudd3@murraystate.edu for more information.

About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. Currently a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Racers will join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.