2013 OVC Men's Basketball Championship - Semifinals

3/8/2013 7:11:10 AM

#1 BELMONT 82, #4 TENNESSEE STATE 73
NASHVILLE (AP) - Ian Clark and Kerron Johnson combined to score 49 points Friday, and Belmont defeated Tennessee State 82-73 in the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals.

Clark hit six 3-pointers en route to 26 points, Johnson finished with 23 points and seven assists, J.J. Mann added 13 points and Blake Jenkins 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bruins, who won their fourth straight regular-season conference championship, the previous three coming in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Belmont (25-6), undefeated at home this season, led 32-29 at intermission and opened the second half on an 11-3 run to pull ahead 43-32. Tennessee State (18-14), which won the previous meeting 80-69, cut it to 66-62 with 5:07 left but was outscored 16-11 from there.

Belmont, which has won its last five games and 16 of 18, made 22 free throws to the Tigers' five.

Kellen Thornton led Tennessee State with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

#2 MURRAY STATE 81, #3 EASTERN KENTUCKY 73
NASHVILLE (AP) - 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.