4) TENNESSEE-MARTIN 101, 5) SAMFORD 94 (3 OT)(OHIO VALLEY)
Tennessee-Martin captured its first Ohio Valley conference tournament win since joining the league in 1992, but the fourth-seeded Skyhawks might not have had enough energy to celebrate afterwards.
A back-and-forth opening 40 minutes ended with both UT-Martin and No. 5 Samford stuck on 77, and then a pair of overtime periods in which both teams scored ten points also decided nothing. Finally, in the third extra period, a big block Djero Riedewald and six consecutive made free-throws enabled Martin to come away with a 101-94 win.
Sophomore guard Marquis Weddle was the star for the Skyhawks, connecting on nine of 21 three-point attempts, and finishing with a game-high 39 points.
"He had a career night," UT-Martin coach Bret Campbell said. "He doesn't play like a freshman and learned how to play at this pace and level. He's been a big reason why we turned around and won seven-of-eight."
Junior guard Lester Hudson, the nation's leader in points scored, played all 55 minutes, and finished with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The good news for the fatigued Skyhawks is that they now have plenty of time to rest before Friday's semifinal in Nashville. The bad news is that waiting for them in the Music City will be top seed Austin Peay.
Friday's tip-off is slated for 6 p.m., and the game will be covered by ESPNU.
6) TENNESSEE STATE 68, 3) MOREHEAD STATE 61 (OHIO VALLEY)
Tennessee State won its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament game in a decade when it upset third-seeded Morehead State 68-61 on Tuesday night.
The victory had extra significance for the Tigers, who blew a 22-point lead at Morehead on Feb. 28.
Junior guard Bruce Price's 22-points led the way for TSU, which captured a 4-2 lead 17:27 left in the first half and never trailed again.
"We've been knocking on the door for four years," said TSU head coach Cy Alexander about his team getting to the OVC semifinals. "To finally be able to knock the door down and take that step to get back to Nashville, it's a great step for our program."
The Tigers will play No. 2 Murray State on Friday at 8:30 p.m.
ANTHONY SMITH, LIBERTY
Junior guard Anthony Smith hit 11-of-18 shots, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, to finish with a team-high 30 points as fourth-seeded Liberty eliminated VMI 103-88 in a Big South quarterfinal.
BIG SOUTH
1) North Carolina-Asheville 87, 8) Charleston Southern 63
4) Liberty 103, 5) VMI 88
3) High Point 59, 6) Coastal Carolina 56
2) Winthrop 76, 7) Radford 45
HORIZON LEAGUE
4) Illinois-Chicago 70, 9) Youngstown State 59
8) Loyola (IL) 57, 5) Wisconsin-Milwaukee 51
3) Wright State 60, 10) Detroit 37
6) Valparaiso 75, 7) Wisconsin-Green Bay 67
OHIO VALLEY
1) Austin Peay 76, 8) Eastern Kentucky 51
4) Tennessee-Martin 101, 5) Samford 94 (3 OT)
6) Tennessee State 69, 3) Morehead State 61
2) Murray State 77, 7) Tennessee Tech 74
ATLANTIC SUN QUARTERFINALS (NASHVILLE)
1) Belmont vs. 8) Campbell
2) Jacksonville vs. 7) Mercer
PATRIOT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS (AT HIGHER SEED)
1) American vs. 8) Holy Cross
2) Navy vs. 7) Bucknell
3) Colgate vs. 6) Lafayette
4) Lehigh vs. 5) Army
SUN BELT FIRST ROUND (AT HIGHER SEED)
4) Middle Tennessee State vs. 13) Louisiana-Monroe
5) Louisiana-Lafayette vs. 12) Troy
6) North Texas vs. 11) Arkansas State
7) Florida Atlantic vs. 10) Florida International
8) New Orleans vs. 9) Denver