NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Isaiah Canaan scored 29 points and Stacy Wilson scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half Friday night to help Murray State beat Eastern Kentucky 81-73 and advance to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship.
Brandon Garrett added 11 for the Racers (21-9), who will face Belmont on Saturday for a chance at their 16th overall and second straight OVC title.
Murray State led by as many as seven in the first half before Eastern Kentucky rallied to 38-all at intermission. Eastern Kentucky (24-9) went up 51-50 on an Eric Stutz jumper with 14:11 left but the Racers answered with a 16-2 run over the next 5 minutes to pull away.
Murray State outshot Eastern Kentucky 58 percent (29 of 50) to 39 percent (22 of 56), dished out 20 assists to eight turnovers, and scored 42 points in the paint.
Stutz's 18 points led Eastern Kentucky.
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