Missouri State Bears (16-8, 6-7) vs. Southern Illinois (13-10, 5-8)

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7:05 p.m., JQH Arena

• Tickets   (KIDS FREE!) 
• Promotions
• Visitor's Guide
• Listen Live
• Video Streaming
• Live Stats

The Game: After an impressive 70-52 win over Creighton on Saturday, Cuonzo Martin's Bears (16-8, 6-7 MVC) wrap a two-game Missouri Valley Conference home stand Wednesday when they host rival Southern Illinois (13-10, 5-8) at 7:05 p.m. at JQH Arena.

 The triumph over Creighton was Missouri State's first over the Bluejays in more than four years and pushed the Bears back within striking distance of the MVC upper division with a critical week ahead. Against Creighton, the Bears shot 50.9-percent from the field and owned a 40-27 rebounding advantage, while getting double-figure scoring performances from four players, including a team-high points from Will Creekmore (Jr., C, Tulsa, Okla.).

 Chris Lowery's SIU squad lost a heart-breaker at league frontrunner No. 22 Northern Iowa on Saturday, 55-52, despite 17 points from Iowa transfer Tony Freeman (Sr., G, Maywood, Ill.).

The Series: The series between the Bears and Salukis dates back to 1957 with SIU holding a 38-26 series lead. Southern Illinois has won seven of the last eight meetings and 10 straight at SIU Arena. In Springfield, the Bears are 17-13 all-time against SIU, including an 0-1 mark at JQH Arena and 13-6 home record in MVC games.

The Coaches: Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, 2000) is 27-28 (.491) overall, 6-17 on the road and 21-10 (.677) at JQH Arena in his second season at MSU and overall. He is 0-3 against SIU, 9-22 in MVC games, 3-8 in February, 7-5 on Wednesdays, and 12-7 on Saturdays.

 He spent eight seasons as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Purdue (2000-08) where he was a standout performer for coach Gene Keady from 1991-95.

 Martin (38), who became MSU's 16th head basketball coach on April 1, 2008, played professional basketball for four years, including two stops with the Milwaukee Bucks and one with the Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA. He spent most of his professional playing time in the Continental Basketball Association and in Europe, leading Grand Rapids in scoring three seasons and leading the Felize Scandone team in Avellino, Italy in 1997. Originally from East St. Louis, Ill., he scored 20 points against the Bears as a Purdue player on 12/22/92 and helped Purdue to a 4-0 mark against MSU as a player and coach.

 SIU coach Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois, 1995) is 122-67 (.646) in his sixth season at SIU and overall. The Salukis' sideline boss is 8-4 all-time against the Bears, including a 1-4 mark in Springfield.

The Ten Count: Ten Missouri State quick facts relating to today's game:

• MVC Newcomer of the Week Adam Leonard has 66 three-pointers this season which ranks No. 8 on the MSU season list, just 28 shy of the MSU season record (94), set by Johnny Murdock (1992-93) and Blake Ahearn (2006-07).
• The Bears have now reached 100,000 in net attendance for the second straight year and 18th time in the last 25 seasons. MSU has also reached the milestone four of the last five years (99,859 in 2007-08).
• Southern Illinois (0-3) is now one of two MVC teams, along with Northern Iowa (0-4) second-year Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin has not defeated.
• MSU has reached double-digits in offensive rebounds in nine straight games and 16 total games this season. Over the last nine contests, the Bears have outrebounded eight opponents and grabbed 14.1 offensive boards.
• The Bears are 12-0 this season when shooting at a better percentage than their opponents. MSU has fired at a .500 clip or better six times this season (6-0), but just three times in league play.
• Kyle Weems notched his team-high 10th dunk of the season in Saturday's home win over Creighton. It was the sophomore's first slam, however, since Jan. 9 and snapped his nine-game dunkless dry spell.
• The Bears were last in the MVC in scoring last season (60.9) and reached the 70-point plateau just three times. In 2009-10, Missouri State is tops in the MVC in scoring (72.2) and hit 70 points or more 17 times in 24 games.
• With a 12-2 home ledger in 2009-10, Missouri State ranks 18th in Division I home victories. The only Missouri Valley school with more home wins this season is Wichita State (13-0).
• Cuonzo Martin is seeking a milestone 10th career Valley victory and looking to return to the .500 mark as a head coach for the first time since he was 26-26 after the win over Evansville on Jan. 27.
• Justin Fuehrmeyer needs just 21 points to reach the 500-point milestone for his career. 

Dunk-O-Meter: Missouri State's season dunk total is now 37. The current MSU Dunk-O-Meter looks like this:

Last Outing: Missouri State (16-8, 6-7 MVC) led from start to finish and snapped a two-game Missouri Valley Conference losing streak with a 70-52 home win over Creighton (12-12, 7-6), Saturday at JQH Arena.

 The Bears shot 50.9 percent from the field and dominated the boards with a 40-27 rebounding advantage to claim their first win over Creighton since Feb. 25, 2006. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Bluejays and gave Dana Altman's squad its worst defeat since a 22-point loss at Illinois State on Jan. 3, 2009, 44 games ago.

 Missouri State's key to victory came from stepped-up energy and balanced scoring. After a 5-0 start, the Bears went on an 11-1 run midway through the first half to take a 25-11 advantage. MSU led 35-24 at the intermission, and after Kenny Lawson scored his team's first two baskets of the second half, the Bears led by double figures the rest of the way.

 Will Creekmore (Jr., C, Tulsa, Okla.) led MSU with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, while Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.) scored a season-high 12 points to go with two assists. Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) and Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo. )added 11 points apiece.

On the Radio: All Missouri State games can be heard on KTXR, Springfield (101.3 FM), the flagship station of the Missouri State Bears Basketball Radio Network. Play-by-play man Art Hains will provide the game description.

 Hains first began calling Bears action in 1977 and is in his second stint and 29th season overall as the Voice of the Bears. He called MSU games from 1977 to 1981 and returned to the mic in 1985. The SIU game will be Art's 877th Missouri State basketball broadcast.

 Color commentary is provided this season by former Bears Mike Keltner (1970-74) and Drew Richards (2004-08). The Bears are 11-4 with Keltner providing color and 5-4 with Richards.

 MSU basketball can also be heard on the nine-station MSU Bears Basketball Radio Network (see sidebar), in addition to live audio streaming on www.RadioSpringfield.com.

National & Conference Leaders: In Monday's NCAA statistical rankings, the Bears rank among the nation's top 50 teams in three statistical categories -- 41st in free throw percentage (.733), 24th in turnovers per game (11.5), and 36th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.) ranks 20th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6), while Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) ranks 43rd nationally in three-point field goals per game (2.8) and 48th in three-point field goal percentage (.393). Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) ranks 127th in field goal percentage (.471), 229th in three-pointers per game (2.0), and 213th in steals (1.5). Jermaine Mallett (Jr., F, Jackson, Miss.) is 88th in free throw percentage (.829).

 In Monday's MVC statistics, the Bears lead the Valley in scoring (72.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.2). Among individuals ranking in the top 10 in the league, Kyle Weems ranks 7th in scoring (13.5), 7th in rebounding (5.8), 10th in field goal percentage (.471), 5th in steals (1.5), 6th in 3-point field goal percentage (.412), 7th in three-pointers per game (2.0), 9th in blocked shots (0.8), and 6th in defensive rebounds (4.6). Jermaine Mallett is 8th in rebounding (5.8), 8th in FT percentage (.829), and 8th in offensive rebounds (1.8), while Adam Leonard is 10th in scoring (12.7), 2nd in 3-pointers per game (2.8), 7th in minutes played (32.7), 10th in 3-point percentage (.393), and 10th in FT accuracy (.817). Justin Fuehrmeyer is 1st in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6) and 5th in assists (3.3).

Milestones: Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.) needs 21 points for 500, 4 assists for 300and 5 steals for 100 in his career ... Ryan Jehle (Jr., F, Overland Park, Kan.) needs 4 points for 200 career ... Will Creekmore (Jr., C, Tulsa, Okla.) needs 20 points for 400 total in his career and 4 rebounds for 250 career ... Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) needs 25 minutes played for 3,000 career ... Jermaine Mallett (Jr., F, Jackson, Miss.) needs 12 rebounds for 150 this season ... Keith Pickens (Fr., G, St. Louis, Mo.) needs 8 points for 100 season ... Caleb Patterson (So., C, Ames, Okla.) needs 18 points for 200 career ... Kyle Weems (Jr., F, Topeka, Kan.) needs 8 rebounds for 300 in his career and 7 rebounds for 200 MVC career rebounds.

Coors Player of the Week: Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) is this week's Coors Player of the Week. Leonard posted a career-high 29 points and matched a career best with 7 three-pointers at Southern Illinois on Wednesday. His three-point output was just one shy of tying the Missouri State single-game record, and his 29 points was the fourth-best point output in the nation that day. He followed that performance with another double-figure output on Saturday to give the Bears their first win over Creighton since 2006. Leonard is also this week's Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week.

Following the Game On-Line: MissouriStateBears.com will provide fans around the world with a number of opportunities to view Saturday's game. The "Fan Central" link on the site has links for Live Stats, On-Demand Video (Bears Live!), GameDay Guide and other key links for tickets, game notes and game promotions.

Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge Series: The Missouri Valley Conference claimed the inaugural Mountain West-Missouri Valley Conference Challenge Series this fall, winning five games to four. The Bears were victorious over Air Force, 58-48, at JQH Arena on Dec. 5 in their series game. Other MVC winners in the series were: Indiana State, Wichita State, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa, while Evansville did not participate in the inaugural challenge.

 Overall, Missouri Valley teams completed the pre-Christmas non-conference season with an overall 75-32 record.

McFarland Dismissed Dec. 26: Missouri State men's basketball coach Cuonzo Martin announced Dec. 26 that sophomore guard Cardell McFarland (Evansville, Ind.), one of the team's three returning starters from last season, was dismissed from the squad due to an undisclosed violation of team conduct rules during the team's scheduled holiday break.

 McFarland played in five of the team's first 11 games this season, scoring 25 points with 7 rebounds and 8 assists. He missed three games with a knee contusion suffered in the Tulsa game on Nov. 28 and had been in uniform for the Bears' next three games, but did not play. As a freshman last season, he started 19 of the 29 games in which he appeared, averaging 6.9 points and 1.6 rebounds with a career-high 15 points at Tennessee-Martin on Feb. 21, 2009.

Spoonhour Headlines 2010 MSU Hall of Fame Class: Former Bears' head coach Charlie Spoonhour (1983-92) was one of six former Missouri State coaches and student-athletes to be inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame during ceremonies on the Missouri State campus on Feb. 6.

 Spoonhour posted a 197-81 (.709) record at Missouri State which included 20-win, postseason teams each of his final seven seasons. That stretch included Mid-Continent Conference regular season championships four years in a row from 1987 through 1990. The Bears' 1986 NIT club was Missouri State's first Division I postseason team and knocked off Pitt and Marquette before a one-point loss to Florida in the quarterfinals. The Bears reached the NCAA for the first time in 1987 and had a first-round win over Clemson before losing to Kansas. MSU returned to the NCAA meet in 1988, 1989 and 1990 from the Mid-Continent Conference, and in 1992 from the Missouri Valley Conference. The 1992 Bears won what remains the school's only men's MVC basketball championship. Spoonhour's 1987 team finished with a school record 28 wins and took a 15-game win streak into the NCAA second round vs. Kansas.

 The six new inductees will bring the total membership in the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame to 326.

Williams Joins SIU Hall: Missouri State men's basketball assistant coach Kent Williams joined five other former Southern Illinois University athletics standouts as 2010 inductees into the SIU Athletic Hall of Fame on January 8.

 Williams (1999-2003) helped rejuvenate the men's basketball program at Southern Illinois a decade ago. As a four-year starter, his teams were 88-42 during his career and advanced to two NCAA Tournaments (2002, 2003), including a Sweet 16 appearance, and one NIT bid (2000). Williams became just the second player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points. He was a two-time, First-Team All-MVC selection (2002, 2003) and runner-up to Kyle Korver for MVC Player of the Year in 2003. He ranks among the school leaders in numerous career categories, including 3-pointers (2nd), free throws (2nd) assists (8th) and games started (1st).

 Williams came to Missouri State, along with head coach Cuonzo Martin, from Purdue in the spring of 2008.

Bracket Busting: After posting a 10-1 record in non-conference play this season, the Bears now host Nevada on Saturday, Feb. 20 (2:05 p.m.) in the ESPN BracketBusters series for their final non-MVC foe of the season.

 Missouri State is 3-3 all-time in the BracketBusters series, 1-2 at home, and 1-3 in televised BracketBusters games. This year's game will be the first-ever BracketBusters game at JQH Arena.

 On Dec. 9, the Bears defeated Tennessee-Martin, 79-51, in their BracketBusters return game from last season. MSU improved to 6-0 all-time in BracketBusters return games with the win. The new return game policy will have the Bears traveling to Reno to play the Wolf Pack during the 2011-12 season.

Weems on the Climb: Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) continues to climb Missouri State's career charts. Entering the SIU game, he ranks No. 71 in MSU career scoring (640), just 3 points behind Scott Hawk (1974-78), and 4 points behind Merrill Andrews (2002-04) on the all-time Missouri State scoring list. Weems also ranks No. 10 in career three-point field goal attempts with 260.

Court Captains: Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.), Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.), and Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) are sharing team captain duties this season for coach Cuonzo Martin's squad.

Non-Conference? Non-Problem: The Bears finished non-conference play (save the BracketBusters game on February 20) with a 10-1 record and are now 18-5 overall under head coach Cuonzo Martin against non-MVC foes. MSU has assured itself of its seventh straight winning record in non-conference games and has matched its highest non-league win total since the Bears were 11-4 in 1998-99.

Building the Program: On Nov. 11-12, 2009, Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin announced the receipt of National Letters of Intent from three high school prospects for the 2010-11 season.

 Committing to Missouri State were:

• Nathan Scheer (6-5, 200, F, Washington, Mo., St. Francis Borgia High)
• Corey Copeland (6-3, 180, G, Fort Smith, Ark., Northside High)
• Aaron Cooper (5-11, 170, G, Jacksonville, Ark., North Pulaski High)

 Scheer, a student with a 3.95 GPA, was a consensus Missouri Class 4 All-State pick last season. He helped lead coach Dave Neier's St. Francis Borgia High School to a 28-3 overall record and Missouri state title last season after averaging 15.9 points and 5.0 rebounds as a junior. He also added 41 three-pointers, 60 assists and 44 steals last season. As a sophomore, Scheer led Borgia in scoring and rebounding with 17.1 points and 5.7 rebounds.

 Scheer scored a career-high 36 points on 12/9/09, including seven 3-pointers, to lead Borgia to a thrilling 78-75 victory over Whitfield. The Knights have won 36 straight games and are ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 4 with a perfect 20-0 record. Scheer is averaging 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and is 54-for-114 from three.

 Copeland helped his Fort Smith (Ark.) Northside squad to the Arkansas Class 7A quarterfinals last season, earning All-State honors and a spot on the All State Tournament Team. He averaged 15.2 points and led his team in field goal percentage. He holds a 3.4 GPA and is considered an athletic player with outstanding leaping and shooting abilities. Martin calls Copeland a slasher who can make shots and play three different positions.

 His Grizzlies are 15-6 this season. He is averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He notched a season-high 31 points on 12/30/09 against Fort Smith Southside behind 8-of-10 three-pointers.

 Cooper averaged 18.0 points and 4.1 assists as a prep junior a year ago at North Pulaski (Ark.) High. He made 82-percent of his free throws and knocked down 53-percent of his three-pointers. He is a reputable defender who uses his quickness to create offense, and has a great instincts. Martin says Cooper has the potential to be a great on-ball defender and a scoring point guard. His father, Raymond, is also his high school and AAU coach.

 His Falcons are 17-4 this season. Cooper is averaging 17.4 points per game with 40 three-pointers.

Bears in the Pros: Blake Ahearn (2004-07) is back in the NBA Development League with 10 games (5 starts) under his belt with the Bakersfield Jam. He is averaging 13.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, going 39-for-43 (.907) at the foul line. He posted 28 points behind six three-pointers in a Jan. 29 win over Idaho. Ahearn started the season in Spain and played 13 games for the MMT Estudiantes Madrid before returning to the U.S. He averaged 14.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 24.4 minutes per game and was 36-for-87 (.414) from three-point range. The NCAA all-time free throw leader broke the Spanish league record by going 57-for-58 (.983) at the charity stripe.

 Ahearn spent the bulk of the 2008-09 season with the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League where he was co-MVP of the D-League All-Star Game after claiming league's Rookie of the Year honors in 2007-08. Ahearn had stints with the NBA's Spurs and Heat during the most recent two seasons.

 Deven Mitchell (2004-08) is playing for the CS Gaz Metan Medias squad in the Romanian League. He is averaging 13.7 points and 4.8 rebounds through 19 games while making 57.5 percent of his field goals. He is coming off a season-high 21 points on Feb. 5.

 Shelton Colwell (2003-04) is active in Austria, averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds through the first 16 games of the season for the BSC Raiffeisen Fursten feld Panthers.

Preseason Valley Poll: The Bears were picked ninth in the MVC preseason poll, marking just the fourth time since the Bears joined the league in 1990-91 that they have been picked to finish outside the 10-team conferences' upper division.

 Last season, the Bears were picked 10th in the league and finished 3-15 in the MVC, the program's lowest-ever finish.

Home Attendance: In 2008-09, the Bears eclipsed 100,000 fans (121,502) for the 17th time in the last 24 seasons. The team's final home average of 7,147 in 17 games at JQH Arena was the second-best home average for Missouri State this decade and 15th best all-time. The team's 2008-09 net attendance ranked No. 6 all-time at MSU.

 The Bears also improved to fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in home attendance average after finishing sixth in 2007-08, and were Division I basketball's 20th most-improved program in home attendance in 2008-09.

 The Bears have been ranked between 55th and 90th among Division I programs in home attendance in 16 of the last 22 seasons, including a national ranking of 75th in 2008-09.

 Through 14 of 17 home games, the Bears have drawn 101,344 fans and are averaging 7,239 fans per game.

Debut of the Q: With a $30-million gift from Missouri State alumnus and Springfield-based hotel developer John Q. Hammons, the long-time dream of a new home for the Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears and an iconic tribute to MSU intercollegiate athletics became a reality last season. JQH Arena features a seating capacity of 11,000, including 50 courtside seats, 24 suites, PRIME Overtime Club, Hall of Fame and Legacy of Competition exhibits, 114 loge seats, 1,363 reserved student bleacher seats and 9,637 chairback seats.

 The Bears defeated Arkansas, 62-57, before a sellout crowd of 10,881 on November 22, 2008 in the inaugural game at JQH Arena. The first opponent to beat MSU in the facility was Utah, 71-58, on November 26, 2008. MSU is 12-2 at JQH Arena in 2009-10 and 21-10 all-time.

 MSU finished its inaugural campaign at JQH Arena with a 9-8 home record and an average home attendance of 7,147, ranking 75th among all Division I programs and 20th most-improved from the previous season.

The Program: Missouri State entered the 2009-10 season with the 28th-best all-time win total in NCAA Division I men's basketball and the 17th-best by winning percentage (.642). Currently, the Bears have an all-time record of 1516-843 (.643) in 98 seasons and are 531-326 (.620) since making the move to Division I in 1982-83.

 During its Division I era, MSU has made NCAA Tournament appearances in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, and 1999. With Tournament wins over Wisconsin and Tennessee, the 1999 Bears advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Bears have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament eight times -- 1986, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The 1986, 1993 and 2006 squads all reached the NIT quarterfinals.

 The Bears won NAIA national championship titles in 1952 and 1953, while making six NAIA national tournament appearances from 1939-1954. MSU also appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament 10 times, finishing as national runners-up on three occassions -- 1959, 1967, and 1969.

 Missouri State has won 23 conference titles, not including a 1992 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title.

Missouri State University: Missouri State University is a public, comprehensive university system with a mission in public affairs, whose purpose is to develop educated persons while achieving five goals: democratizing society, incubating new ideas, imagining Missouri's future, making Missouri's future, and modeling ethical and effective behavior.

 With a record enrollment of 22,938 in 2009-10, MSU is the second-largest institution for higher learning in Missouri, and its identity is distinguished by its statewide mission in public affairs. This mission requires a campus-wide commitment to foster competence and responsibility in the common vocation of citizenship. Missouri State University-Springfield is a selective admissions, graduate level teaching and research institution.

 Missouri State competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference with affiliate membership in the Mid-American Conference for field hockey and men's swimming and diving.

 Notable Missouri State alums include: Ryan Howard (2009 NLCS MVP, first baseman, Philadelphia Phillies), John Goodman (actor), Kathleen Turner (actress), David Glass (owner, Kansas City Royals), John Q. Hammons (businessman, hotel developer), Bob Holden (43rd governor of Missouri), Bill Mueller (2003 American League batting champ), Jackie Stiles (Division I career scoring leader), and Blake Ahearn (NBA D-League MVP and All-Star Game co-MVP).

Up Next: The Bears begin a two-game road trip Sunday by traveling to Wichita State for a 7:05 p.m. game on ESPNU against the Shockers. MSU then goes to Normal, Ill., on Feb. 17 for an 8:05 p.m. tipoff on FSN Midwest. The next home game will be on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2:05 p.m. against Nevada in the BracketBusters on ESPN2.