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SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State basketball Bears will make their preseason debut this Saturday (Nov. 8) when they host Missouri Southern State University in an exhibition game at JQH Arena at 7:35 p.m.

Bears' head coach Paul Lusk begins his fourth season at the helm of the Springfield program with four starters back from a 20-13 club that earned a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament last March. Triggering the Bears' attack are Marcus Marshall (Jr., G, St. Paul, Minn.), who averaged 14.3 points last year before a season-ending knee injury in January, and Austin Ruder (So., G, Nixa, Mo.) who dropped in a program freshman record 72 3-pointers in 2013-14. Marshall was named MVC Freshman of the Year in 2013 and was an honorable mention pick on the 2014 Preseason All-MVC Team. Ruder earned a spot on the 2014 MVC All-Freshman squad after tying for the third-best freshman total from beyond the arc in league history.

New Missouri Southern head coach Jeff Boschee returns a pair of starters from a 25-6 club that saw its 10-game winning streak snapped in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in March. Senior Cameron Cornelius (G, Wichita, Kan.) started all 31 games last winter and averaged 11.2 points with 46 assists. The Lions also feature transfer Bruce Marshall (Jr., C, Fayette, Mo.) and assistant coach Sam McMahon who were both with the Missouri State program last season.

Lusk spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern from 1999-2002 under former Lions' head coach Robert Corn. MSSU was 71-21 in that span, highlighted by 30-3 effort in 1999-2000 that culminated in an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.

Tickets for all non-conference Bears games are on sale now at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets, or during regular box office hours at the Athletics Box Office at JQH Arena and by phone at (417) 836-7678. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. until tipoff on game days.