Jakob Milani
Sports Editor
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Murray State was officially crowned OVC Men’s Basketball Champions after they defeated Morehead State 71-67 on Saturday, March 5.

Junior forward KJ Williams, junior guard Tevin Brown and sophomore guard Justice Hill were all named to the All-Tournament Team. Hill also took home Tournament MVP. 

Hill spoke about his MVP award after the game. He said he’s just glad his hard work finally paid off when the team needed it most.

“I don’t really mind not being looked at like the others on the team,” Hill said. “I really just wanna win. Knowing I’ve got [Williams and Brown] next to me that can go for thirty points each night really takes a lot of pressure off me knowing they will be the main focus of the other team.” 

It seemed as though all of Evansville, Indiana, packed inside the Ford Center for the championship matchup. Williams and freshman forward Johni Broome lined up across from each other for the jump ball, and the Racers came away with the ball to get the game started.

Brown got the scoring started with a three-pointer from the right wing and followed it up with another three-pointer from the left wing to put the Racers up 6-2. 

Brown scored another three points at the free-throw line, and then Williams followed it up with a three-pointer that put the Racers up 12-2 and forced the Eagles to call a timeout.

Morehead State had been a tough opponent in the OVC all season, finishing third in the regular season OVC standings. It was only a matter of time before the Eagles were caught up with the Racers.

And catch up they did as the Eagles went on a 15-0 run to answer the Racers hot start. Sophomore guard Ta’lon Cooper started it with a mid-range jumper, and junior forward Jaylon Hall followed it with a three-pointer. 

Hall and graduate guard Tray Hollowell each made a three-pointer before Brown ended the run with a layup to make it 17-14 in favor of the Eagles. 

Another three-pointer from Hall attempted to keep the momentum in the Eagles favor, but back-to-back threes from sophomore guard DaQuan Smith tied the game at 20 apiece with 8:13 left in the first half.

Neither team could get much of an advantage over the other as the half continued on. Even a three from senior guard Carter Collins was answered with a 7-0 run from the Eagles, with six of the points coming from Broome.

The Racers managed to climb back with a three-pointer from Hill, but Broome took the lead back with an and-one play. Another layup from Hill tied the game at 34 as the time expired in the first half. 

At halftime, Brown led the Racers with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. Hill had seven points, while Smith had six points on 2-2 shooting. Williams and sophomore forward DJ Burns each had a team-high five rebounds.

Broome led all scorers at halftime with 15 points on 7-11 shooting from the field, as well as four rebounds. Hall had eight points on 3-5 shooting, and Cooper had five points and two assists.

The battle was back on in the second half, and similarly to the first, neither team could take a substantial lead. Broome started the scoring with a layup, but Hill countered with an and-one to put the Racers on top.

Broome landed another layup, but Hill again answered with a three-pointer. Hollowell was able to tie it back up with a three-pointer, and then Broome went 2-2 at the free throw line to put the Eagles up by two. 

Brown got another three to go to give the Racers the lead, and then Burns followed it up with a layup to make it a three-point lead. However, an and-one play from Broome brought the game back to a deadlock.

As the game continued on, the teams remained at a deadlock with neither defense giving in. The Racers lead hit six points at one point, as Hill made a three-pointer and both Hill and Brown made layups.

As the clock dipped under the five-minute mark, the Racers fought to keep their lead alive. Brown made a pair of layups, but Broome answered with a layup to keep the Racers lead at three points. Following a free throw from Cooper, Williams made a jumper and Hill made a free throw to extend the lead to five points.

Hollowell kept the dream alive for the Eagles with a three-pointer as the clock dipped into the final minute, and then another three-pointer from Hollowell with just eight seconds left to cut the Racers lead down to a single point.

In the closing second, Brown was able to come up with a steal against Hall, but he landed hard on  the ground after Hall fouled him just a second later and had to be looked at by the staff. 

After he laid on the ground for a few minutes, Brown stood up, walked to the free throw line with tears in his eyes and sank the free throws to put the Racers up by three. Williams got the final free throw to go, and concluded the epic finale to the OVC basketball season.

Brown was the leading scorer for the Racers with 23 points on 7-18 shooting from the field and 6-8 shooting from the free-throw-line. Hill followed with 21 points on 8-19 shooting. Williams had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Broome led all scorers with 32 points on 13-20 shooting and tacked on eight rebounds as well. Cooper had 12 points on 5-10 shooting from the field, while Hollowell had 12 points on 4-7 shooting from three-point range.

Williams, who was named OVC Player of the Year just a week before, discussed after the game about how the team sticks together in a tight game like this. He said the game speaks to how well they are able to perform under pressure.

“It shows the great character of our team,” Williams said. “We’ve been in situations like this in away games and sometimes in home games.  But it just shows that no matter what the score is, we’re gonna stay calm and collected and get the job done

Head Coach Matt McMahon said the game went exactly how he believed it would, with a close finish.

“Two really good teams having to fight and scrap for every point they could get. This is what March Madness is about,” McMahon said. “It was a war of a game. I’m proud of our players and how they did what they’ve done all year: they found a way to win.”

The Racers finish their season with a 30-2 record and on a 15-game win streak. With the win, Murray State punched their ticket to March Madness. The Racers first round matchup is still to be determined at this time. Selection Sunday is set for March 13 to determine the seeding and bracket for the tournament.