All four Ohio Valley Conference favorites won their quarterfinal match ups Tuesday night, with three of the four top seeds winning by double digits. No. 2 Austin Peay needed a late rally to overcome a 10-point second-half deficit to No. 7 Eastern Illinois. The Governors hit four free throws in the final minute and a half to take the lead and hold on for a 57-54 win.
Austin Peay will play No. 3 Murray State, which handled No. 6 Tennessee State 88-74. Six Racers scored in double figures, led by freshman forward Ivan Aska’s 19 points off the bench. Murray State was hot all night, shooting just less than 60 percent from the field.
Top-seeded Tennessee-Martin open the conference tournament with a 93-75 win against No. 8 Tennessee Tech. Senior guard Lester Hudson, the nation’s second-leading scorer, exploded for a season-high 42 points on 15-of-24 shooting. He hit eight three-pointers to help put the Skyhawks into the semifinals against No. 4 Morehead State.
Sophomore forward Kenneth Faried, the nation’s third leading rebounder, single-handedly outrebounded No. 5 Eastern Kentucky to help lead the Eagles to a 91-72 win. Faried finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds, while all of Eastern Kentucky’s players tallied only 15 rebounds. Junior Maze Stallworth led Morehead State with 21 points, and senior Leon Buchanan added 20.
