Belmont put an end to Murray State's 25-game winning streak and grabbed the OVC's automatic tournament bid in an instant classic championship game.
The Murray State Racers have won 25 games in a row and ran the table in the OVC regular season, but the Belmont Bruins put an end to the streak Saturday. Taylor Barnett jacked up a game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left to stun Murray State, 88-87, and send Belmont to the NCAA Tournament.
The first half went by a blistering pace with points coming in bunches. Belmont got off to a hot start with 29 points in the first 10 minutes. They cooled off after that while the Racers made a furious rally, ending the half with a 15-5 run to take an eight-point lead into the locker room.
Belmont stormed back in the second half to take another lead, thanks in part to eight straight points from Evan Bradds. The game continued to move back and forth at a frenetic pace, with neither team pulling away and both sides throwing haymakers from the three-point line. Belmont finished with 15-of-38 shots from beyond the arc, while Murray State shot 11-of-28.
With the game tied with less than three minutes to go, Barnett put Belmont up in front with a three-pointer. Belmont held the lead until Cameron Payne pulled out his heroics again for Murray State, tying the game with yet another cold-blooded NBA three-pointer with one minute to go. Payne drew a foul and put the Racers up two points with 27 seconds left. The lead did not hold thanks to Barnett, capping off a dramatic finish to an instant classic.
Craig Bradshaw led the Bruins with 25 points, while Bradds added 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. T.J. Sapp paced Murray State with 28 points and Payne finished with 20 points and 10 assists.
This is Belmont's seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and second OVC tournament title since joining the conference in 2012.
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