MURRAY STATE 80, TENNESSEE STATE 62: Isaiah Canaan scored 24 points and No. 12 Murray State used a 14-0 run to end the first half as the Racers avenged their only loss of the season in convincing fashion in Nashville.
Murray State (27-1, 14-1 Ohio Valley) got some revenge after Tennessee State (19-11, 11-5 OVC) stopped the Racers' 23-game winning streak with a 72-68 win in Murray, Ky., on Feb. 9. Tennessee had its nine-game winning streak snapped this time.
Leading 31-28 with 2:28 remaining in the opening half, the Racers hit four 3-pointers to put away the Tigers and take a 45-28 halftime lead. Canaan had 16 points in the first half while Donte Poole tallied 11 of his 16 in the opening half. Canaan and Poole combined to go 9 of 15 from 3-point range with Canaan hitting 5 of 7 and Poole 4-for-8 as the Racers connected on 12 of 22 from long distance for the game.
The Tigers were led by Robert Covington's 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Kellen Thornton came off the bench to post career-bests of 17 points and 10 boards as Tennessee State shot just 40 percent from the field and made only 2 of 15 shots from 3-point range.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Murray State, regular season conference champions for the third straight year, will be the top seed in next week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in Nashville, while Tennessee State will be the No. 2 seed. Both teams receive byes into the semifinal round. Murray State's Canaan now has 14 games of 20 or more points. Tennessee State's Covington notched his ninth double-double of the season, second in the OVC.
Murray St. | Tennessee St. | |
Isaiah Canaan 24 | Scoring | Robert Covington 24 |
Zay Jackson 5 | Assists | Robert Covington 2 |
Ivan Aska 4 | Rebounds | Robert Covington 15 |
Ivan Aska 4 | Free Throws Made | Kellen Thornton 5 |
Jewuan Long 4 | Steals | Robert Covington 2 |
Edward Daniel 2 | Blocks | N/A |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Murray St. | 80 | 56.5 | 12-22 | 16-19 | 12 | 22 | 5 | 11 | 16 |
Tennessee St. | 62 | 40.4 | 2-15 | 14-23 | 6 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 19 |