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Bears Set to Begin Conference Play Tuesday at Home

Bears Set to Begin Conference Play Tuesday at Home

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MSU Athletics Communications

GAME 14 - Missouri State Bears (6-7, 0-0 MVC) vs. Evansville Purple Aces (9-4, 0-0 MVC)
Date and Time Tuesday, December 31, 2019 | 4:02 p.m.
Location JQH Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets Evansville Game | Future Games
Radio KTXR (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN+ (Tom Ladd, Corey Riggs) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads 36-35 | Last Meeting: MSU 68, UE 56 (2/13/19) | Box Score
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Evansville | MVC Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearUp
Promotions $5 bleacher seats | New Year's Eve swag | Bears ticket holders may come early and attend the (1 p.m.) women's game at no additional cost (in unoccupied seats only)
Up Next The Bears travel to Loyola on Saturday, Jan. 4 (7:00 p.m.) | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State begins its 30th season in the Missouri Valley Conference on Tuesday when the Bears host Evansville at 4 p.m. (Central) as part of a New Year's Eve doubleheader at JQH Arena. The Bears are 18-11 all-time in MVC openers and 25-4 in Valley home openers (9-2 at JQH Arena).
  • Lamont West (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio), the Bears' graduate transfer from West Virginia, has knocked down a 3-pointer in 10 straight games (his career-best is 11 straight). He is coming off a team-high 14 points at Oral Roberts (Dec. 21) after making 4-of-6 treys in the non-conference finale.
  • The Bears have out-rebounded 10-of-13 opponents this season and had a streak of 8 consecutive games out-rebounding their foes snapped at Oral Roberts on Dec. 21. MSU now ranks 2nd in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebound margin (+6.8) -- which ranks 38th nationally.
  • Isiaih Mosley (Fr., Columbia, Mo.) ranks 5th in the Valley in FG percentage (.611) heading into league play. He has made 22-of-36 shots this season and scored in double-figures in back-to-back games. He is averaging 11.7 points per game over the last three contests while converting 12-of-15 (.800) FGs in that span, including 6-of-7 (.857) 3-pointers.
  • Tulio Da Silva (Sr., Formiga, Brazil) is sitting at 967 career points (89 games) and has scored 521 points (13.0 ppg) in two seasons (40 games) at Missouri State. He has scored in double figures in 5 of the Bears' last 7 games (12.1 ppg).
  • The Bears are 31-of-37 (.838) from the foul line over their last 3 games and currently rank 2nd in the Missouri Valley in team free throw percentage (.739).
  • Tyrik Dixon  (Jr., Bentonville, Ark.) is shooting 50-percent from the field (16-of-32) over the last 5 games while averaging 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in that span.
  • Gaige Prim (Jr., Aurora, Colo.) has scored double figures in 7 straight games (14.4 ppg) and  shooting .524 in that span.
  • Over the last 6 games (since Nov. 29), Josh Hall (Jr., Houston, Texas) is averaging 5.7 rebounds and 6.3 points per game in a reserve capacity. Only Tulio Da Silva is averaging more rebounds per game (6.7) in that span. Hall is coming off 10 points and a team-high 6 rebounds at Oral Roberts (Dec. 21).
  • In home games this season, Keandre Cook (Sr., Baltimore, Md.) is averaging a team-best 18.3 points per game and is second on the club with 5.5 rebounds per game at JQH Arena. Cook is also 33-of-61 (.541) from the field at home, 14-of-28 (.500) from 3-point range and 30-of-33 (.909) from the foul line -- all team highs.
  • The Bears are 5-1 at home this season and 118-49 (.707) over the last 11 seasons at JQH Arena. The Bears are 7-4 all-time against Evansville at The Q with a scoring margin of +2.1 against the Aces at home.
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 22-23 (.489) in his second season as Missouri State head coach, including a 16-5 ledger at JQH Arena, 5-13 record in away games, and 1-5 mark at neutral sites. He is now 79-88 (.473) in his sixth season as a head coach.  He is 1-1 in his career against Evansville.
  • In his first season in Springfield, Ford led the Bears to a tie for third place (10-8) in the Missouri Valley Conference with the program's first winning record in Valley play since 2011. He guided two players -- Tulio Da Silva (first team) and Keandre Cook (third team) -- to All-MVC honors in addition to three players on the MVC All-Newcomer Team, including Newcomer of the Year Da Silva.
  • He was introduced as Missouri State's 18th men's basketball coach on March 22, 2018 after coaching the previous four seasons at Tennessee State. The native of Tamms, Illinois was 57-65 (.467) at Tennessee State, including a 52-39 ledger in his last three seasons in Nashville. He coached five All-OVC players and two OVC All-Newcomer Team selections during his tenure at TSU. Under his leadership, Tennessee State also doubled its home attendance average and twice earned votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll during the 2016-17 season.
  • Ford, 35, was awarded the Ben Jobe Award in 2016 as the nation's top Division I minority coach. That same year, he was named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and NABC District 19 Coach of the Year after engineering one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history, swaying Tennessee State from a 5-26 record in his first season to a 20-11 mark in 2015-16.
  • He has served as an assistant at Tennessee State, Wichita State and Illinois State and was responsible for recruiting future NBA talents such as Robert Covington (Timberwolves) and Fred Van Vleet (Raptors).
Series History
  • The series between the Bears and Aces is a rich one that dates back to March 13, 1959 when Evansville beat MSU in the championship of the NCAA Division II Tournament, 83-67, at Roberts Stadium in Evansville.
  • Missouri State now leads the series, 36-35, with Missouri State posting a 22-11 record in Springfield against Evansville (10-4 at JQH Arena), an 11-22 ledger in Evansville (2-6 at Ford Center) and 4-2 mark at neutral sites. The teams have split the regular-season series the last three years.
  • Last year, the series began in Springfield (Jan. 16) with Evansville knocking down a dozen 3-pointers, including a key trey by Evan Kulhman with just over a minute to go, to defeat the Bears, 70-64, at JQH Arena. Missouri State led 54-49 with 5:26 to go, but UE scored 11 points in the span of less than two minutes to take a 60-56 advantage. Keandre Cook and Tulio Da Silva led the Bears with 14 points apiece, while Da Silva snagged a game-high 13 rebounds. UE was led by K.J. Riley who was 5-for-10 from the field for 16 points. In the rematch in Evansville (Feb. 13), MSU shot 74 percent (17-of-23) in the first half and built an 18-point lead en route to a 68-56 win at Ford Center. Da Silva scored 17 points and snagged 7 rebounds with Ryan Kreklow and Jarred Dixon pitching in 15 points apiece. Marty Hill (15 points) and K.J. Riley (10 points) led UE.
Rebound Foundation
  • Bears' head coach Dana Ford and his wife, Christina, are founders of the Rebound Foundation. The not-for-profit raises funds and awareness to help renew and restore women who have experienced a life of domestic abuse. The foundation provides a stable home and fresh start to abuse victims and their children. The Rebound Foundation currently provides homes in Springfield, Mo., and Chicago, Ill.
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