National Basketball Association
Belmont 70, Murray St. 68
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 9, 2013
Where: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Officials:
# John Campbell, # Jeb Hartness, # James Hicks
Attendance:
4590
By SportsDirect Inc.
Belmont 70, Murray State 68 (OT): Kerron Johnson sent the game into overtime with a jumper and nailed the game-winner with 1.2 seconds left to send the Bruins to a thrilling victory in the Ohio Valley Conference title game.
Johnson finished with 12 points and six assists while J.J. Mann scored a team-high 18 points to lead Belmont (26-6), which secured its 1,000th program victory.
Stacy Wilson scored a game-high 23 points while Isaiah Canaan tallied 22 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Murray State (21-10), which lost for the first time in its last six OVC title game appearances.
In the extra period, Wilson hit a jumper to score the final two of the Racers’ six points to take a 68-66 lead with 1:03 remaining. However, Johnson – a first-team all-OVC point guard – recovered from a nasty fall earlier in the overtime to hit a pair of free throws to knot the game at 68 and followed a turnover by Canaan on the next possession with a jumper just inside the lane.
The Racers and Bruins – in the first year in the OVC after leaving the Atlantic Sun Conference following last season – exchanged a number of double-digit runs throughout regulation. Belmont used two 13-0 surges and Murray State enjoyed a 16-2 spurt to lead by as many as 10 in the second half, but the Racers missed five of their final seven free throws in regulation and Johnson’s 10-foot fadeaway jumper with 10 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Belmont has won each of its last six conference tournament appearances. … Canaan, a senior, posted his first double-double. … Murray State was denied its 1,500th program win.
Top Game Performances
Belmont |
|
Murray St. |
J.J. Mann 18 |
Scoring |
Stacy Wilson 23 |
Kerron Johnson 6 |
Assists |
Isaiah Canaan 10 |
J.J. Mann 7 |
Rebounds |
Isaiah Canaan 9 |
Kerron Johnson 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Isaiah Canaan 8 |
Kerron Johnson 3 |
Steals |
Ed Daniel 3 |
Reece Chamberlain 1 |
Blocks |
Ed Daniel 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Belmont
|
70 |
49.1 |
4-19 |
10-14 |
15 |
20 |
2 |
10 |
14 |
Murray St.
|
68 |
53.3 |
10-24 |
10-15 |
18 |
30 |
2 |
7 |
26 |