Murray St. advances to OVC title game beating Austin Peay

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Tevin Brown scored 24 points and KJ Williams had a double-double and Murray State beat Austin Peay 73-61 in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Friday.

The Racers (23-8) play conference top-seed Belmont on Saturday for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Murray State entered the tournament as the second seed.

Williams scored 15 with 11 rebounds, Chico Carter Jr. scored 10 and Devin Gilmore grabbed 10 rebounds.

OVC Player of the Year Terry Taylor led Austin Peay (21-12) with 27 points and 14 rebounds and Jordyn Adams scored 13.

After Taylor hit a 3-pointer to give the Governors a 44-43 lead with 12:49 remaining, Carter hit a jump shot and Brown sank three free throws and Murray State gradually begin to distance itself. Taylor’s 3-point play reduced Austin Peay’s deficit to 57-51 with 4:33 to go but it never got closer.