EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Morehead State will represent the Ohio Valley Conference in the NCAA Tournament after defeating Little Rock 69-55 in the tournament championship game on Saturday at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
The Trojans started the game shooting 1 of 9 (11.1%) from the field and quickly fell behind 21-4 in the first half; that 17-point deficit was the largest of the game.
Bradle Douglas led Little Rock with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist. KK Robinson added 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Jamir Chaplin finished with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.
Despite their shooting woes to start the game, the Trojans stormed back with a 14-point run to cut the Eagles' lead to five points going into the locker room.
Little Rock took its first lead of the game after Robinson knocked down a jumper to make it 36-35 with 15:44 to play. The Trojans held that lead for only 1:04 before Morehead State went on a 12-3 run to regain control.
Riley Minx had a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds for the Eagles, who punched their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 2021.
OVC Coach of the Year Darrell Walker and Little Rock finished the season 21-11 overall and 14-4 in OVC play. Entering Saturday's game, the Trojans were riding a 10-game winning streak.
Little Rock was picked to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference, but it finished the regular season as conference champions in just its second year.
The 68-team March Madness bracket will be determined during the Selection Show on March 17. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. on THV11.