MURRAY, Ky. (AP) -- Isaiah Canaan had 26 points and six assists
as Murray State took down Belmont 79-74 Thursday night, spoiling
the Bruins' perfect Ohio Valley Conference record.



Stacy Wilson added 16 points for Murray State (17-5, 8-2), which
led in rebounds 32-26 and forced the Bruins into 12 turnovers.



Belmont (19-5, 10-1) shot 51.9 percent (28 of 54) from the floor
and 42.9 percent (9 of 21) behind the arc.



Ian Clark led Belmont's scoring with 22.



With 2 minutes to go, the Bruins threatened to overtake the
Racers with a 17-7 run, coming as close as three points.



Aggressive steals and plays worked in the Bruins' favor as a
3-pointer by Clark tied the game at 74 with 58 seconds to go
before Canaan answered with a 3 of his own.



A Bruins turnover with 25 seconds remaining gave Murray State
the ball, and Canaan and Ed Daniel each went to the line and
made one of two free throws.



Less than 5 minutes into the game Murray State went on a 14-4
run that began and ended with Wilson layups, pushing the score
to 21-12.



After the Bruins garnered a layup and two free throws, the
Racers took off again. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Wilson put
Murray State on top by 14.



The Racers led 36-26 at the half.



Canaan, who connected on his first 3-pointer 2:45 into the game,
extended his school-record streak of games with a made 3-pointer
to 31. However, Canaan wasn't Murray State's only 3-point
shooter; five of the eight Racers who played made at least one.



Both teams lead their respective divisions in the OVC, with
Belmont controlling the East and Murray the West.



The contest marked career game No. 1,000 for Belmont coach Rick
Byrd.



The meeting was the first between the teams since 2007, when the
Bruins topped the Raiders 84-67.