EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — KJ Williams had 29 points and 10 rebounds and No. 22 Murray State advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship, beating Southeast Missouri State 88-74 on Friday night for its 19th straight victory.
Murray State (29-2) will play the Belmont-Morehead State winner in the title game Saturday night.
Tevin Brown added 26 points for Murray State. The Racers sped to a 17-1 lead, with Nana Akenten hitting a 3-pointer 4:32 into the game for Southeast Missouri State's first basket.
DQ Nicholas led the Redhawks (14-18) with 20 points.
Murray State shot 65.5% from the field in the first half, with Brown going 8 of 10 in the half.
TIP INS
Murray State: The Racers, metrically, had a position locked up in the NCAA Tournament. However, a berth to the conference title game should quiet any questions — regardless of the outcome.
Southeast Missouri: The Redhawks should return more than 80% of their starting scoring, in a conference that’ll look drastically different with the Racers, Belmont and Austin Peay leaving — and Southern Indiana, Lindenwood and Arkansas-Little Rock entering.
