Belmont hits late shot to upset Murray St. in title game of OVC tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 25 Murray State's winning streak is over, and coach Steve Prohm already is lobbying hard to make sure his Racers' hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth aren't gone, too.

T.J. Sapp's last-gasp shot fell way short of the basket at the buzzer, and Murray State lost 88-87 to Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship. The loss snapped a 25-game winning streak that had been second only to Kentucky nationally.

Prohm said he will second-guess himself over whether he should have taken a timeout to better set up the final shot.

"This is an NCAA Tournament team," Prohm said. "I know you don't go off past seasons, but look at everything this league has done since 2010. Look at the guys in the NBA. ... Look at what we've done in the postseason. OVC teams have won multiple NCAA Tournament games."

Prohm then rattled off how his Racers beat Illinois State, which beat Wichita State on Saturday, and some other wins. He also talked about the challenge of playing Rick Byrd's Belmont teams in Nashville.

"We're very deserving," Prohm said. "If you've watched us play, then you would agree. I hope we get a chance. These guys deserve it. But if not, we'll be gracious about it and play as I hope we get an opportunity. If not, we'll be gracious about it and go play in the NIT."

Taylor Barnette hit the winning 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left, helping the Bruins (22-10) improve to 7-1 in conference tournament finals -- all in the past decade. They knocked off defending tournament champ Eastern Kentucky in the semifinals and then Murray State, the regular-season champ, to earn their first NCAA berth since 2013 when they beat the Racers in the title game.

"This one's special because I didn't expect our team to be able to do it, frankly," Byrd said of the team with only two seniors playing in this game. "I didn't think it wasn't possible. We're just so young."

The Racers (27-5) couldn't add a perfect run through the tournament to the first undefeated league record in the program's history.

Cameron Payne hit two free throws with 20.7 seconds left putting Murray State ahead for the last time at 87-85. Nick Smith missed a 3 for Belmont wide right of the basket with 11 seconds left, but the Bruins had one last chance throwing the ball in with 9.1 seconds remaining after the stop and timeout. The Bruins usually run the play for Smith, but went with Barnette.

Barnette, scoreless in the first half, tossed in the winning 3 with a defender in his face.

"It came down to one shot in a tournament, and I don't believe that reflects on what type of players we are, what we've accomplished as a team," Sapp said.

That was the 12th and final lead change in a game that also had 10 ties keeping fans on their feet for much of the second half.

Both teams shot 50 percent or better.

Craig Bradshaw scored 25 points for Belmont, and Evan Bradds added 21. Smith finished with 16 as the Bruins knocked down 15 3-pointers.

Sapp finished with a career-high 28 points. Payne, the OVC player of the year, finished with 20 points. Jeffery Moss added 12, Jarvis Williams 11 and Jonathan Fairell 10.

Belmont jumped on the Racers from the start, thanks to hitting eight 3-pointers, and the Bruins jumped out to a 29-19 lead. Murray State finished the half on a 30-12 run, taking a 49-41 lead into halftime.

But Bradds scored 10 straight for the Bruins to get them back into the game, setting up another thrilling finish between these teams.

TIP-INS

Belmont: The Bruins have made the second-most 3s nationally since moving from NAIA to Division I in 1996-97, second only to Duke. They hit 15 3s in this game. ... They outrebounded Murray State 36-29.

Murray State: The Racers outshot Belmont 52.4 percent (33 of 63) to 50.8 percent (33 of 65). ... The Racers now are 63-35 all-time in the OVC tournament and 15-11 in the tournament championship.