MURRAY LEAVES NOTHING TO CHANCE; RACERS ROMP TO OVC TITLE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Murray State Racers didn't want to take their chances with the NCAA tournament's selection committee, so they took fate into their own hands Sunday.

Isaac Spencer had 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Racers routed Tennessee State 92-69 for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament title and the league's automatic bid.

"I thought we were in. Maybe we weren't," Murray State coach Mark Gottfried said. "I was really happy with how we played today. That obviously took all the doubt out of it."

The Racers (29-3) already had their 10th regular season title in 11 years, but they earned their sixth trip to the NCAA tournament in the 1990s with one of their best shooting performances of the season.

Murray State easily outshot Tennessee State (13-16), hitting 60 percent for the game (38-of-63) compared to 35 percent (23-of-65).

Tennessee State coach Frankie Allen said he hadn't seen such a shooting display since he was a player. His Tigers tried to shut down Murray State sharpshooters De'Teri Mayes and Chad Townsend, but the Racers just got the ball inside to Spencer.

"The only thing they missed is when they threw that water on Mark Gottfried (after the buzzer) and got some on me," Allen said, referring to the messy victory shower.

Townsend added 19 points for the Racers, while Duane Virgil had 15 and Mayes 14.

Murray State will be making its third NCAA trip in the past four years and ninth overall. Whether the Racers, who won all three of the OVC tourney games by more than 20 points, would receive an at-large bid had been a topic of conversation with opinions split.

The seventh-seeded Tigers came in hoping to force the Racers to wait until March 8 when the at-large bids go out. They had won six of their last eight games, including two upsets in the OVC tournament to reach only their third final ever. But the Racers never trailed as they opened the game with a 13-2 run.

Gottfried said he and his team never felt pressure to win or else.

"We're excited about it and look forward to being in the greatest show on earth," he said.

Jamie Roberts, the OVC's freshman of the year, kept the Tigers alive as he scored 11 of their first 15 points. The Tigers managed to pull within four several times, but each time Murray State answered with a couple of baskets as the Racers shot 58 percent (17-of-29) for the half and took a 39-30 halftime lead.

In the second half, Murray State never let Tennessee State get closer than nine points as they built their lead to as much as 27 late on a jumper by Townsend that made it 89-62 with 2:09 left.

Allen, who beat Murray State for the automatic bid in 1993 and 1994, said he thinks the Racers deserve an eight or nine seed in the NCAA tournament. Murray State scared Duke in the first round of last year's tournament before losing 71-68.

"It wouldn't surprise me for them to be a Sweet 16 team. I think they've got that caliber of team," Allen said.

Roberts finished with 27 points for Tennessee State, while Jason Johnson added 13 and Brian Williams had 12.