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Bears, Salukis Set for Valley Showdown at JQH

GAME 24 - Missouri State Bears (11-12, 5-5 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois Salukis (12-11, 5-5 MVC)
Date and Time Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | 7:07 p.m.
Location JQH Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets SIU Tickets
Radio KTXR (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television FOX Sports Midwest (Tom Ackerman, Danan Hughes) | MVC TV Network
Series SIU leads 49-37 | Last Meeting: SIU 75, MSU 70 (1/2/19) | [BOX SCORE]
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Southern Illinois | MVC Notebook | MSU Media Guide |
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears
Promotions 1 Millionth Fan Recognition | $15 Tickets in Sections E,J,O and P | MVC Rollabanas | MSU Baseball Ring Ceremony
Up Next The Bears host Illinois State at JQH Arena, Sunday at 3 p.m. An exclusive ticket special  for Sunday's game against the Redbirds in coming soon!

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State returns to JQH Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m.) to take on rival Southern Illinois at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on FOX Sports Midwest and the MVC Television Network. The Bears, who have won three of their last four games and boast an 8-2 record at JQH Arena this season, are looking to snap a nine-game losing streak vs. SIU.
  • In MVC action, Missouri State is allowing a league-best 61.2 points per game, including just 47.5 points over the Bears' last four contests. In the past 14 seasons, the MVC leader in team defense (PPG allowed in league-only games) has reached the NCAA Tournament 10 times and the NIT three times.
  • Bears' head coach Dana Ford grew up 37.5 miles from Carbondale in Tamms, Illinois. He scored 2,222 career points at Egyptian High School where he was a two-time all-state performer in 2001 and 2002. He is 0-3 as a head coach vs. SIU, falling to the Salukis twice in the 2014-15 season while coaching at Tennessee State, and on Jan. 2 this year.
  • Keandre Cook (Jr., Baltimore, Md.) led the Bears with 16.0 points per game last week, converting 11 field goals, five 3-pointers and 5-of-7 free throws. Cook made the game-winning free throws in overtime at Valparaiso to give the Bears a 55-54 win over the Crusaders and finished with a game-high 17 points. He followed that effort with a 15-point outing at Northern Iowa on Saturday to go with a team-high 5 rebounds against the Panthers.
  • Current SIU head coach Barry Hinson was 169-117 (.591) in 9 seasons (1999-2008) as head coach at Missouri State with four NIT appearances in 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007.
  • The Bears continue to lead the Missouri Valley in steals per game (7.3), which ranks 88th nationally enterting the week. Missouri State ranked last in the conference a year ago with just 4.6 steals per contest in 2017-18.
  • Missouri State will surpass 1 million men's basketball fans at JQH Arena during the SIU game. MSU will recognize the 3,954th fan through the gates Wednesday with a special recognition and prize pack. MSU is 119-54 (.688) all-time at The Q with 996,046 Bears hoops fans coming through its turnstiles since the building opened on November 22, 2018.
  • Josh Webster (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) leads the MVC in assists per game (5.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.21). He also ranks 17th nationally in assist-to-turnover and is coming off 6 assists with no turnovers at UNI.
  • MSU has blocked 24 shots in its last five games (4.8 per game) -- its top four-game stint of the year in terms of shot rejections. For the season, the Bears (4.0) rank second in the MVC in blocks per game, just behind SIU's 4.3 per game.
  • With 1,119 career points, Jarred Dixon (G, Kansas City, Mo.) needs 12 points to match Deven Mitchell (2003-08) for the No. 20 spot on the Bears' career scoring chart. Dixon also ranks 8th all-time at MSU with 3,122 career minutes. 
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 11-12 (.478) in his first season at Missouri State, including a 8-2 ledger at JQH Arena. He is now 68-77 (.469) in his fifth season as a head coach and 0-3 all-time vs. SIU.
  • 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.  
  • Ford, 33, 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 coached five All-OVC players in addition to two players recognized on the OVC All-Newcomer Team. 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.
  • TheAthletic.com named Bears' head coach Dana Ford to its list of 30 "up and coming coaches to keep an eye on" during its 2018-19 preseason basketball coverage.
Series History
  • Southern Illinois leads the all-time series, 49-37, in a rivalry that dates back to 1957. The Salukis have won the last nine meetings, including all three last season and the last three in Springfield. MSU is 23-16 all-time at home against the Salukis, including a 6-4 mark at JQH Arena.
  • Last season, Armon Fletcher's layup with 7 seconds left helped SIU to a 79-77 win in Springfield (Jan. 27) despite 29 points from Alize Johnson. The Salukis' good fortune struck again in Carbondale (Feb. 14) with an 81-80 overtime win over MSU with Aaron Cook's two FT's with 4.1 seconds left in OT. Jarred Dixon scored 15 points for MSU. Finally, the Salukis won a 67-63 decision in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals (March 2) as Dixon scored 16 for MSU in a comeback that saw the Bears nearly erase a 14-point deficit with 6:15 left.
  • Earlier this season in Carbondale (Jan. 2), MSU ran out of clock in a 75-70 defeat in the Valley opener. Ryan Kreklow and Keandre Cook led the Bears with 15 points apiece and combined for eight 3-pointers. Kavion Pippen led SIU with 23 points, while Aaron Cook poured in 15. After trailing by nine at the break, the Bears took less than six minutes into the second half to tie the game for the first time, 46-46, after a 3-pointer and free throw by freshman Jan Wojcik. [BOX SCORE]
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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Players Mentioned

Jarred Dixon

#11 Jarred Dixon

G
6' 4"
Junior
Alize Johnson

#24 Alize Johnson

F
6' 9"
Senior
Ryan Kreklow

#20 Ryan Kreklow

G
6' 4"
Junior
Keandre Cook

#1 Keandre Cook

G
6' 5"
Junior
Jan Wojcik

#15 Jan Wojcik

F
6' 10"
Freshman
Josh Webster

#0 Josh Webster

G
6' 3"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jarred Dixon

#11 Jarred Dixon

6' 4"
Junior
G
Alize Johnson

#24 Alize Johnson

6' 9"
Senior
F
Ryan Kreklow

#20 Ryan Kreklow

6' 4"
Junior
G
Keandre Cook

#1 Keandre Cook

6' 5"
Junior
G
Jan Wojcik

#15 Jan Wojcik

6' 10"
Freshman
F
Josh Webster

#0 Josh Webster

6' 3"
Senior
G

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