Murray State came up just short.

Again.

Less than eight minutes from making their first-ever trip to the NCAA regional semifinals, the Racers couldn't hold onto the lead and wound up falling to Marquette 62-53 on Saturday night. Jae Crowder scored six points for Marquette during a decisive 14-2 run, and finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

''I told them in the locker room that I just - I wish I could have figured out a way to get them through the last seven minutes,'' Racers coach Steve Prohm said. ''I don't think we wore down. We've got a tough, resilient group ... We just didn't finish some plays on the offensive end that we had to do in order to withstand some of their run-outs and some of their execution, and we didn't.''

It's the second time in three years Murray State (31-2) has failed to get out of the first weekend. Though this wasn't as gut-wrenchingly close as 2010, when Murray State lost to Butler by two points after Isaiah Canaan mishandled the ball with 10 seconds left, it is sure to sting, especially after the season the Racers had.

They won their first 23 games of the season, were the last team in the country to lose and showed against Marquette (27-7) they can play with anyone.

''We thought we would come out with a win,'' said Donte Poole, who managed just seven points - half his average - while playing with the broken nose he sustained in Thursday's win over Colorado State.

''For it to end like this, you're upset,'' Poole added. ''But you've just got to look at all the great things we've done this season, as well.''

Canaan had 16 points and six rebounds for the sixth-seeded Racers and Jewuan Long added 12 points. Ed Daniel tied a career high with 14 rebounds.

Despite a decided size advantage - Prohm joked Crowder and Johnson-Odom were missing spring practice somewhere - the Golden Eagles could never quite get in sync against the speedy, aggressive Racers. That Marquette was essentially playing a road game couldn't have helped.