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Missouri State

Lu'Cye Patterson

Red-Hot Bears Ride Win Streak into Saturday Clash vs. UCA

December 16, 2021

By: MSU Athletics Communications
GAME 12 - Missouri State Bears (7-4) vs. Central Arkansas Bears (1-8)
Date and Time Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 | 7:00 p.m. (Central)
Location JQH Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena
Promotions Lady Bears vs Southern University at 2 p.m.
Fan Info Digital Game Program
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television KOZL-TV / ESPN3 (Don West, Jim Middleton) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads all-time series, 10-2 | Last Meeting:MSU 101, UCA 61 (12/4/10)
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State  | Central Arkansas |  MVC Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
Up Next Wednesday, Dec. 22 - Bears at Saint Mary's | 9:00 p.m.

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State puts a three-game win streak on the line Saturday when the Bears close out their home stand against Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. at JQH Arena (KOZL/ESPN3). It will be UCA's first visit to JQH Arena since 2010.
  • Isiaih Mosley (Jr., Columbia, Mo.) is this week's MVC Player of the Week as well as the Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week after he averaged 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in two wins last week. Mosley posted his 20th career 20-point game in last Saturday's win over Oral Roberts -- his fifth of the season.
  • Gaige Prim (Sr., Aurora, Colo.) will be playing in his 100th NCAA game (64th at MSU) and is coming off his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 boards vs. SDSU. He ranks 16th nationally in double-doubles, 32nd in rebounds (9.2), 33rd in FG percentage (.605) and 34th in offensive rebounds (3.18), all of which lead the Missouri Valley.
  • Ja'Monta Black (Jr., Columbia, Mo.) is averaging 17.0 points per game during the Bears three-game win streak with a team-high 12 3-pointers in that span. Black posted 25 points (one shy of his career high) at Little Rock on Dec. 8..
  • The Bears have shot 71-percent or better from the free throw line in all 11 games this season and currently lead the MVC -- and rank 12th nationally -- in team free throw percentage (.795). Isiaih Mosley leads the league and ranks 10th nationally in charity-line shooting this season (.935).
  • Jaylen Minnett (Sr., Terre Haute, Ind.) has racked up 316 career 3-pointers (120 games), which ranks 7th among all active Division I players. He had a string of 21 consecutive games with at least one triple broken on Dec. 11. Minnett ranks 20th nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.44) and 16th in 3-point percentage (.477).
  • Under Dana Ford, the Bears are 50-24 when holding their foes under 50 percent from the field. MSU is also 28-2 under Ford when it eclipses 50 percent shooting.
  • Lu'Cye Patterson (So., Minneapolis, Minn.) has started the last 3 games for Missouri State, while helping push the Bears during their current three-game win streak. He has scored in double figures in 3 of the last 5 games (9.2 ppg) while shooting 59.4 percent from the field in that span.
  • Missouri State ranks 54th nationally in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, while boasting 2 of the top 50 individual offensive performers in the nation. Gaige Prim (119.8) ranks 8th in offensive efficiency, while Isiaih Mosley ranks 49th (104.8) among more than 2,200 NCAA Division I players.  
  • Valpo transfer Donovan Clay (G/F, Alton, Ill.) is averaging 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the last 5 contests. He is coming off a 12-point effort in Wednesday's win over SDSU and is just 8 points away from 800 for his career (74 games).
  • According to KenPom.com, the Bears (54.8) rank 33rd nationally in effective field goal percentage. Missouri State is ranked among the NCAA's leaders in free throw percentage (12th), 3-point percentage (47th) and total field goal percentage (57th), while ranking 73rd in scoring offense (77.8 ppg).
  • Two Bears have birthdays this weekend with Keaton Hervey turning 23 on Friday (Dec. 17) and Raphe Ayres turning 21 on Sunday (Dec. 19).
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 56-44 (.560) in his fourth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 34-14 ledger at JQH Arena, 17-22 record in away games, and 5-8 mark at neutral sites. He is now 113-109 (.509) in his eighth season as a head coach. Ford is 0-0 all-time against Central Arkansas.
  • Ford picked up his 100th career victory on Feb. 7, 2021 at Illinois State (72-62). The Dec. 15, 2021 win over South Dakota State was Ford's 100th as Bears head coach.
  • Last season, Ford was named to ESPN's College Basketball 40 Under 40 list at No. 35 and was on the list of national finalists for both the Skip Prosser Award and Ben Jobe Award. The Bears completed the 2020-21 campaign with a 17-7 overall record and 12-6 ledger in the Missouri Valley Conference (third) before advancing to the MVC Tournament semifinals. Missouri State was 7-2 in road conference games to match a program high-water mark, while Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim earned All-MVC first team honors, and Demarcus Sharp earned a spot on the MVC All-Newcomer Team.
  • 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, TSU doubled its home attendance average and twice earned votes in the AP Top 25 poll in 2016-17.
  • Ford, 37, earned 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 (Trail Blazers) and Fred Van Vleet (Raptors).
Series History
  • Missouri State leads the all-time series, 10-2, including an 8-0 record in Springfield. The Bears have defeated UCA in all four home venues on the Springfield campus, including both previous meetings at JQH Arena.
  • On Dec. 13, 2008, senior Wade Knapp was 5-for-6 from the field and had 6 rebounds to help Missouri State to a 63-46 win. MSU shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second half and held the visitors to a 35.8 shooting clip for the game, including 1-for-13 from three-point range.
  • In the most-recent meeting between the clubs on Dec. 4, 2010, Missouri State broke four arena records (none of which still stand), including total points and assists, with a 101-61 victory. MSU had six players score in double figures, including 20 from Kyle Weems who was 8-of-12 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers and 6 rebounds to pace the way. Adam Leonard added 16 points, while freshman Nathan Scheer posted 13, Nafis Ricks scored 13, Will Creekmore added 12, and Caleb Patterson notched 12 points for the winning side. The Bears broke the century mark for the first time ever at JQH Arena and shot .613 from the field with 22 assists and 38 field goals. MSU never trailed and used an 18-3 start to set the pace early.
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.
  • This year's Rebound Foundation game will be Sunday, Feb. 6 vs. Loyola.
  • Pledge to assist the Rebound Challenge today!  Pledge Link

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