GAME 7
Missouri State Bears (4-2)
vs.
Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (4-2)
_______________________________________________
Wed., Dec. 1, 2010 (7:05 p.m., Central)
JQH Arena (11,000), Springfield, Mo.
TV - BearsLive (www.MissouriStateBears.com)___________________________________________________________ Game Outlook:
 Cuonzo Martin's Missouri State Bears play their third straight home game tonight when they welcome the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans back to JQH Arena for the first time since 2008.
 UALR won three of its first four games to start the season, including impressive wins over SMU and Illinois State. Coach Steve Shields' team has played three games over the past eight days and begins a nine-game month that features just three home contests.
 The Trojans return three starters and six lettermen from an 8-22 squad that finished 4-14 in the Sun Belt and finished sixth in the SBC West Division. Senior Solomon Bozeman (6-0, 188, G) averaged 14.3 points per game a year ago, including 12 points in MSU's 75-62 win in Little Rock (Dec. 2, 2009). Fellow senior returner Alex Garcia-Mendoza (6-3, 205, G) averaged 11.2 points in 2009-10 and had a 10-point, six-rebound performance against Missouri State last season.
 The last meeting between the Bears and Trojans at JQH Arena resulted in a 59-37 victory for Missouri State on Dec. 3, 2008. Playing in just his fifth college game, then-freshman Kyle Weems (Jr., F, Topeka, Kan.) had 12 points off the bench to lead the Bears, while Ryan Jehle scored nine points with 12 boards in the winning cause. UALR, which shot just 23.4 percent from the field in that game, was led by Steven Moore with 14 points.
 The series between the two clubs is surprisingly brief with the Bears winning all six previous meetings. The clubs played a pair of games in the 1920's, saw each other on a neutral floor in Honolulu in 1986, and will play for the fourth time in seven years tonight. MSU is 4-0 all-time against the Trojans in Springfield, including a 1-0 mark at JQH. The Bears are also 1-0 at neutral sites and 1-0 in Little Rock.
 Missouri State is coming off a thrilling 60-49 win over Pacific last Tuesday in the final round of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. MSU trailed the entire first half before starting the second stanza with a 10-0 run and never looked back. Will Creekmore (Sr., C, Tulsa, Okla.) had 12 points and 12 rebounds in that victory -- the Bears' 11th in a row at home -- while Weems had 14 points and seven rebounds with four assists and three blocked shots.
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- Game Notes 7
