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Missouri State

Gaige Prim

Five-Dollar Ticket Special Available for Bears Thursday Matinee vs. Evangel

December 28, 2021

By: MSU Athletics Communications
GAME 14 - Missouri State Bears (8-5) vs. Evangel Valor (9-4)
Date and Time Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. (Central)
Location JQH Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena
Ticket Special $5 Bleacher Tickets by phone (417) 836-7678 or at Box Office
Fan Info Digital Game Program
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN3 (Don West, Corey Riggs) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads all-time series, 4-0 | Last Meeting: MSU 80, Evangel 48 (11/24/17)
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State  | Evangel |  MVC Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
Up Next Sunday, Jan. 2 vs. Drake (7 p.m.) | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State closes out the 2021 calendar year -- and its 2021-22 non-conference slate -- when the Bears entertain cross-town foe Evangel on Thursday at Noon (ESPN3). The Bears are 21-11 so far in 2021. All bleacher tickets for the Evangel game are available for just $5.
  • Last year's scheduled game vs. Evangel (11/27/20) was canceled due to positive COVID tests within the Bears Tier 1 personnel. The teams have played each other just once at JQH Arena -- an 80-48 Bears win on Nov. 24, 2017. Missouri State leads the all-time series, 4-0.
  • The Bears have a pair of players rapidly approaching 1,000 career points at Missouri State. Gaige Prim (Sr., Aurora, Colo.) has accumulated 983 points in 65 games at MSU, while Isiaih Mosley (Jr., Columbia, Mo.) has racked up 974 points in 69 games. Missouri State's 1,000-Point Club currently has 29 members, most recently joined by Jarred Dixon who reached, his 1,000th point on Dec. 22, 2018.
  • Last week, Jaylen Minnett (Sr., Terre Haute, Ind.) was named MVC Newcomer of the Week (Dec. 20) for his role in leading the Bears to a 2-0 week. Minnett averaged 15.0 points, 2.5 assists, and 3.0 steals per game to help Missouri State extend its win streak to four games. He posted a team-high 16 points in the team's win over South Dakota State on Dec. 15, pouring in 4 triples and snagging 4 steals. He followed that with 14 points vs. UCA on Dec. 18 with 4 more 3-pointers, a game-high 5 assists and a pair of steals.
  • Donovan Clay (Jr., Alton, Ill.) has recorded 6 or more rebounds in 7 straight games (7.1 rpg). He was 4-for-5 from the field at St. Mary's with 11 points and 2 blocks.
  • Isiaih Mosley (Jr., Columbia, Mo.) racked up a team-high 21 points at St. Mary's on Dec. 22, including 19 points in the first half. Mosley, who is 22nd in the country in field goals (87) and 25th in FG attempts (182), also ranks 32nd in total points (232). He is averaging 18.2 points per game at home this season and 17.8 overall, which ranks 2nd in the MVC. He has accumulated 7 20-point games this season 22 for his career.
  • Gaige Prim (Sr., Aurora, Colo.) continues to rank high nationally in a variety of categories: 18th in total rebounds (115), 26th in double-doubles (5), 35th in FG% (.589), 40th in rebounds per game (8.8) and 44th in offensive rebounds per game (3.08). Prim has scored in double figures in 11-of-13 games this season and in 79-of-101 career ball games.
  • Over the last 5 games, Ja'Monta Black (Jr., Columbia, Mo.) has knocked down 17 3-pointers (3.4 per game) with double-figure points in 4 of his last 5 outings (13.4 ppg).
  • The Bears have one of the nation's most-efficient offensive squads, ranking 20th in effective FG% (.557) and 46th in offensive efficiency (108.6), according to KenPom, while ranking 8th in the NCAA rankings in FT% (.798), 27th in 3-point% (.381), 35th in total FG% (.479) and 57th in scoring (78.5).
  • Jaylen Minnett (Sr., Terre Haute, Ind.) has racked up 320 career 3-pointers (122 games), which ranks 6th 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 30th nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.18) and 27th in 3-point percentage (.449).
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 57-45 (.559) in his fourth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 35-14 ledger at JQH Arena, 17-23 record in away games, and 5-8 mark at neutral sites. He is now 114-110 (.509) in his eighth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is 0-0 all-time against Evangel.
  • 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
  • The Bears are 4-0 all-time against Evangel in regular-season games, including a 3-0 mark in Hammons Student Center and 1-0 record at JQH Arena. The cross-town foes first met on 2/17/77 at HSC with MSU prevailing, 77-70. The Bears also won a close contest with the Crusaders the following year (2/16/78), 65-60. Missouri State then topped Evangel, 86-39, on 12/12/85.  
  • In the most-recent meeting (11/24/17), Missouri State captured an 80-48 win at JQH Arena. Jarred Dixon led four Bears in double figures with 13 points, while J.T. Miller, Obediah Church and Reggie Scurry each poured in 10 points. Church also had 10 rebounds for MSU, which held a 50-29 rebounding advantage. Justin Washington scored a game-high 19 points to lead Evangel. | Box Score
  • In Dana Ford's first game at Missouri State, the Bears defeated Evangel in a preseason exhibition game, 77-28 on 10/30/18 at JQH Arena. Szymon Wojcik scored 16 points to lead the Bears, while Darian Scott added 14 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Evangel, which was led by Jacob Smith's 6 points, shot 7-of-59 (.119) from the field and 1-of-26 (.038) from 3-point range.
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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