INDIANS STOP MTSU, HEAR MUSIC; SE TO PLAY MURRAY ST. TODAY FOR TICKET TO THE 'BIG DANCE'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- All season long, Southeast Missouri State University basketball fans have been able to see just how solid a team the Indians are.

Today, the entire nation will get that opportunity.

The Indians set up a nationally televised showdown rematch with Murray State and put themselves on the brink of their first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament berth by winning an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinal game Saturday night.

The second-seeded Indians' 82-74 victory over third-seeded Middle Tennessee at the Nashville Arena vaults Southeast into the OVC tourney finals for the first time ever.

Southeast, which improved to 20-8 as it continued its best-ever Division I season, and Murray State will square off at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN. The winner earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tourney.

Top-seeded and regular-season OVC champion Murray State (26-5) routed fifth-seeded Morehead State (13-15) 91-69 in Saturday's other semifinal.

"When you're a kid, you watch the NCAA Tournament on TV and it's something you dream about," said senior guard Cory Johnson. "Now we're just a win away. But Murray State is a great team. They've already beaten us twice and we know we're going to have to really play a great game."

Johnson was as responsible as anybody for making sure the Raiders (12-19) would not gain revenge for two regular-season losses to the Indians.

Feeling the hot hand early, the sweet-shooting Johnson drained four long 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the game to help the Indians open up a 22-12 lead.

"I was getting good looks for the first time in a while," said Johnson. "Once I hit those first two, I really felt good."

Johnson finished with 14 points as he hit four of eight 3-pointers. He was also, somewhat surprisingly, the Indians' second-leading rebounder with five.

"Good," said Southeast coach Gary Garner with a laugh. "Maybe Cory will get 10 (rebounds) next time."

Senior center Bud Eley, who Friday was named the OVC Player of the Year, led the Indians offensively with 17 points. He grabbed 10 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the season. Eley also had three blocks, two steals and two assists.

"It's great we're here (in the championship game)," said Eley. "But until tomorrow, we know it doesn't really matter."

Junior forwards Roderick Johnson and Mike Branson both scored 15 points while senior guard Kahn Cotton added 10. R. Johnson hit all five of his shots from the field and five of six free throws.

MTSU got 13 points from Cedric Wallace, 12 from both Lee Nosse and Ali McGhee and 11 from Gerald King.

Nosse, an emerging sophomore who matches the 6-foot-10 Eley in height if not weight and skill, had plenty of praise for his adversary, who he might some day replace as the OVC's premier big man.

"Bud is really a good player and going against him can only make me better," he said. "I tip my hat to SEMO. They were the better team tonight."

Said MTSU coach Randy Wiel, "I have to congratulate Southeast Missouri State. That is a team. They proved themselves over the course of the year. We were a good team at the end of the season, but they're stronger. When a team beats you three times, you have to tip your hat."

The first five minutes of the game were nip and tuck, MTSU holding its final lead at 12-10 on a Wallace basket with 15:21 left in the opening half.

Southeast then hit MTSU with a 12-0 run -- doing all the damage on 3-pointers. C. Johnson had three of the bombs while freshman Fred Abraham added the other.

All of a sudden, the Indians had a 22-12 lead, which they pushed to 28-17 a short time later when Branson hit two of three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt.

MTSU would not go down quietly, but the Raiders were never able to catch up.

The Raiders used a 16-7 run to pull within 35-33 and Southeast carried a 39-37 advantage into the break.

Southeast started the second half with a quick 5-0 burst, Cotton's driving shot putting the Indians ahead 44-37 after less than two minutes of play.

MTSU got within 44-40, but then Southeast scored eight straight points, capped by Branson's basket in the lane that opened up a 52-40 bulge.

When Eley hooked in a shot with 12:36 left, the Indians had the game's biggest lead at 56-43.

A 17-footer by Brian Bunche again put the Indians ahead by 13 at 66-53. Bunche came off the bench to hit three of four shots and score six points.

The Raiders made another push, getting to within 66-60 on two Nosse free throws with 5:48 remaining.

But Branson came up with one of the game's biggest late plays when he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to make it 68-60 with 5:18 left. He scored again just 22 seconds later on a drive that put Southeast up 70-60.

After MTSU got within 70-62, Branson hit two free throws to make it 72-62. Then with 2:56 left, Cotton scored to put the Indians ahead 74-62.

Still, the Raiders had plenty of fight left in them, scoring six straight points to get within 74-68 on Nosse's tip with 2:18 left.

Cotton hit just two of four free throws and Eley missed a pair as MTSU was still within striking distance at 76-70 with just over a minute remaining. The Raiders then missed a 3-point try that would have really made things interesting.

The Indians then closed things out as R. Johnson made two free throws with 42 seconds left, Cotton nailed a pair with 9.5 seconds remaining and C. Johnson hit two with 2.2 seconds left.

"Cory really got us on a great roll early and we were able to lead by two at halftime," Garner said. "At halftime, we talked about getting our intensity up on defense and that kept us in there."

Now it's on to today's highly-anticipated final against Murray State, which defeated Southeast twice during the season, once on a last-second shot.

"We're one game away from the goal we set at the beginning of the season, to make it to the NCAA playoffs," said Garner. "Murray is a great team, but we've got a chance."

OVC Tournament

At Nashville Arena

MEN

Saturday's semifinals

Murray St. 91, Tenn. St. 69

SE MISSOURI 82, Middle Tenn. 74

Today's championship

Murray St. (26-5) vs. SE MISSOURI (20-8), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)

---

WOMEN

Saturday's semifinals

Tenn. Tech 73, SE MISSOURI 62

Tenn.-Martin 69, Tenn. St. 67

Today's championship

Tenn. Tech (20-8) vs. Tenn.-Martin (21-7), 4:30 p.m. (Fox Sports South)