It’s a familiar venue in a different conference for Belmont and Murray State, who will face each other today in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship. Both programs joined the MVC in the 2022-23 season after being longtime members of the Ohio Valley Conference and playing in the OVC Tournament in the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. So, it seems fitting that the two teams will vie for the championship in the MVC’s first tournament in the Ford Center.
Top-seeded Murray State (24-7) defeated fourth-seeded Drake, 96-90, in the first semi final Saturday, holding off a furious comeback by the Bulldogs, who have won the tournament title the past two years.
“I told the girls, ‘God doesn’t put you in situations or moments that you’re not prepared for,” Murray State coach Rechelle Turner said in a press conference after the game. “It’s just up to you what you do with it; you have to go do the work. And I’ve said all along this team was built for this, and I think they answered the challenge again very well today.”
Murray State shot a blistering 71 percent in the first quarter, scoring 35 points in just the first 10 minutes. They took a 59-43 lead into halftime and increased their lead to 24 in the third quarter before Drake came roaring back behind two-time MVC Player of the Year Katie Dinnebier’s career high 45 points. Dinnebier’s three-point play cut it to 94-90- with 9.2 seconds left in fourth quarter, but Murray State sophomore guard Haven Ford iced the game with two free throws for the 96-90 win.
The combined 186 points is an MVC Tournament record, besting the 179 points combined from Southern Illinois (90-86) over Indiana State in 2011. Dinnebier’s 45 points, including 29 in the second half, put her at No. 3 on the tournament’s single-game list behind only Missouri State’s Jackie Stiles, who had games of 56 and 47. Dinnebier has been the MVC’s Jackie Stiles Player of the Year the past two seasons.
Dinnebier credited her team for the comeback. “I think it was our whole team,” she told reporters after the game. “Every time we huddled up, I said, ‘hey we got this.’ I don’t think anyone had the mentality that we were ever out of the game. Just try to fuel that fire, try to get people on board. I’m really proud of this team. I think we fought to the very end.”
The Racers were led by three-time All MVC Missouri Valley Conference first team forward Katelyn Young, who scored 30 points, 24 of them in the first half. Despite being shut down in the second half, she credited the team’s defense in staving off the Bulldogs.
“Our backs were against the wall,” Young told reporters after the game. “The first half we had obviously a very good cushion — thank goodness — that we were able to score that many. I think what made the biggest difference was being able to lock in on defense.”
Turner agreed that defense was the key to the win and admitted she pulled back a little early when her team got the big lead. “There’s a fine line in this system,” she said. “We’re better when we play fast; we’re better when we go; we’re better when the coach keeps her mouth shut and just lets the kids make plays. I felt like we slowed it down a little early and that’s on me.”
She also credits the entire team for contributing, as Halli Poock, Haven Ford and Ava Learn each added 18 points.
“What makes us unique is we’re not just one. I mean, Katelyn’s great, but she’s not the only player we got. Every person that stepped on the floor today made a positive impact on us winning, and that’s what team means. And we’re a team; we’re a family. And I truly believe that’s what’s pulled us through in these tough situations,”
Turner is especially proud of defeating the team and coach she has looked up to since joining the conference.
“We have the utmost respect for Allison [Pohlman] and Drake basketball,” she said. “She’s kind of been my coaching hero since we joined the league, just watching how she handles her team, how good they are, how hard they play, the way they play offense. Just everything about them is something we were trying to exemplify.”
On the other side of the bracket, third-seeded Belmont defeated regular season co-champions Missouri State, 76-67, in the semi final Saturday, advancing to the championship game for the second time in their first three seasons in the conference.
Although Belmont jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first quarter, Missouri State settled in and took a 42-41 lead into halftime.
A “rousing halftime speech” from head coach Bart Brooks at intermission lit a fire in the Bruins, as they held the Lady Bears scoreless for the first five-plus minutes of the second half, beginning on a 10-0 run and taking a nine-point, 51-42.
Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks led Belmont with 15 points and six rebounds, while graduated guard Tuti Jones and junior guard Emily La Chapell each scored 14 points.
All MVC first-team senior Lacy Stokes led Missouri State with 21 points and four steals. The game marks the last game Missouri State will play in the MVC as the school will join Conference USA in July 2025.
Belmont has a history of playing conference championship games in the Ford Center. They won the OVC Tournament there four times, including in 2022 with a dominant 51-29 win over Tennessee Tech. In their first year in the MVC conference, Belmont advanced to the MVC Tournament championship game in 2023, falling 89-71 to Drake in Moline, Ill.
The Bruins and Racers will tip off at 1 p.m. CT today. The winner will automatically advance to the NCAA Tournament.
