Game 14 - Missouri State Bears (6-7, 2-1 MVC) vs. Drake Bulldogs (11-3, 2-1 MVC)
Date and Time	Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 | 2:02 p.m. (Central)
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office (opens 10 a.m. Sunday)
Ticket Special	$5 Bleachers & Upper Level | $10 Sections A, E, J, N, O & P (purchase on-line or in-person)
Promotions	Wear White | Camper Day | Season Promos
Fan Info	Digital Game Program | Gates open at 1 p.m.
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live Varsity App
Television	ESPN+ (Tom Ladd, James Westling) | Watch
Series	Missouri State leads 46-22 | Last Meeting: DU 79, MSU 78 (ot) (3/5/22) | Box Score
Live Stats	Live Stats
Game Notes	Missouri State | Drake | MVC Weekly Release | MSU Media Guide
Follow	Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
Up Next	MSU hosts Evansville on Wednesday, Jan. 4 | 7 p.m. | Tickets

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

The Ten Count

• Missouri State ushers in the new year on Sunday afternoon when the Bears host Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Drake (2 p.m./ESPN+) at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Bears have won two in a row and share second place in The Valley standings. It also marks the second straight year MSU and Drake have played in the first game of the new year. Fans are encouraged to wear white BearWear to Sunday's game, with $5 and $10 ticket deals available.
• Georgia transfer Dalen Ridgnal (Sr., Kansas City, Mo.) has posted career scoring highs in each of the last three games, including a game-high 24 points in Wednesday's win at UNI in a starting role. At UNI, Ridgnal also notched his first career double-double with a game-high/career-high 11 rebounds, while dropping in 5 three-pointers, also a career high. Over the last 3 games, he is leading the Bears in scoring (17.7) and rebounding (8.7), which rank 6th and 1st, respectively, among MVC players in that span, while his 3.7 threes per game rank 2nd.
• Missouri State (78.3 ppg) and Drake (81.3) represent the two highest-scoring MVC teams since Dec. 16, while MSU's .529 FG percentage in that span is tops among Valley programs.
• MoState ranks 29th nationally in offensive steal percentage (7.5), meaning the Bears turn the ball over via steal on just 7.5 percent of their offensive possessions. In contrast, MSU is creating steals on 15.4 percent of its opponents' possessions in Valley play, which is 1st in the league.
• The countdown to 1,000 career points for Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) is currently at 9. Clay has scored 991 points in 110 games (including 63 games at Valparaiso). Clay is also sitting at 49 career double-figure scoring games (17 at Missouri State). 
• The Bears rank 48th nationally -- and tops in the MVC -- in bench points per game (27.77). Missouri State's 55 bench points at Oral Roberts on Dec. 16 matched the most points ever by MSU's reserves (also done 3/7/20 vs. Valpo) and set a club record for most bench points in a road game.
• Donovan Clay has posted an assist in 14 straight games and has led MSU in assists 8 times this season.
• Damien Mayo Jr. (G, St. Louis, Mo.) scored a career-high 13 points on 6-of-7 field goals at UNI on Wednesday to go with his 3 assists. He is the 11th Missouri State player this season to score 10 or more points in a game and is shooting 68.4 percent from the field (13-of-19) over the last 3 games.
• Since Dec. 16, Jonathan Mogbo (Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla.) ranks 2nd on the club in scoring (12.0), rebounding (5.7) and assists (3.7) per game, while firing at a 65.2 percent from the field (15-of-23) and a team-high 5 steals.
• The Bears had 5 players score in double figures in Wednesday's win at UNI, the second time this season MSU has reached that milestone (also done vs. Oakland on Nov. 27). Led by 24 points from Dalen Ridgnal, MSU also got double-figure points from Kendle Moore (15), Chance Moore (13), Damien Mayo Jr. (13) and Jonathan Mogbo (10).
• Chance Moore (So., Brookhaven, Ga.) is averaging a team-best 13.2 points in home games this season. 
• MSU continues to rank high nationally in scoring defense, ranking 43rd nationally (3rd in MVC) at 62.2 ppg.
• The Bears have shot 50-pct. from the field 3 straight games and are 41-5 under Dana Ford when hitting that milestone.

The Series

• MSU leads the all-time series between the Bears and Bulldogs, 46-22, including a 26-6 record in Springfield and 10-5 ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Bears swept the regular-season series vs. DU last season before suffering a one-point OT loss at Arch Madness to the Bulldogs.
• In the third meeting between the teams last season, Drake advanced to the MVC championship with a 79-78 overtime win over MSU (3/5/22). The classic showdown featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes before a winner was decided. Drake's Tucker DeVries, the MVC Freshman of the Year, made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in overtime to lift Drake. He got to the line moments after Missouri State's Gaige Prim gave the No. 2-seeded Bears a one-point lead on a close-range bucket at the rim. Prim racked up 21 points and 8 rebounds, while teammate Isiaih Mosley scored a game-high 27. Donovan Clay also tallied 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. DeVries led four Drake players in double figures with 23 points and 8/8 FTs. Prim's layup with 9.6 seconds left in OT came on the heels of a missed 3-pointer by Drake's Roman Penn, which caromed out of bounds. But with time winding down, and the Bears defending for their lives, a whistle decided their fate. DeVries was awarded a two-shot foul on a hasty foul call with 1.1 seconds to go, and he made both to push the Bulldogs to the finals. (Box Score)

Coach Dana Ford

• Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 78-58 (.574) in his fifth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 46-18 ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 25-29 record in away games, and 7-11 mark at neutral sites. He is now 135-123 (.523) in his ninth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 46-29 in Valley games (23-14 at home, 23-15 away). 
• Coach Ford is 3-7 vs. Drake (2-3 at Great Southern Bank Arena).
• He picked up his 100th career victory on Feb. 7, 2021 at Illinois State (72-62) and coached his 100th game at Missouri State on Dec. 15, 2021 vs. South Dakota State. His win over Oakland on Nov. 27 in The Bahamas was his 75th victory at MSU.
• CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein listed Missouri State head coach Dana Ford among his "20 coaches on the rise entering the 2022-23 college basketball season."
• In a breakout 2021-22 campaign, Missouri State finished the season as one of the nation's most-efficient offensive teams, ranking 2nd nationally in free throw percentage (.797), 14th in field goal percentage (.482) and 23rd in 3-point FG percentage (.374) -- the only DI team to rank in the top 25 in all three. KenPom also rated the Bears 21st in effective FG percentage (54.6) and 23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency (113.2). MSU led the MVC in all of those metrics, except 3-point percentage, while also leading The Valley in scoring (77.3) and turnovers per game (10.6), which ranked 38th and 34th in the country, respectively.
• Likewise, the 2021-22 Bears finished as runners-up in the Missouri Valley Conference, racking up a 23-11 overall record and 13-5 record in the league. The Bears' season win total was the program's most since 2011 and the 10th-best in team history. The squad advanced to the MVC Tournament semifinals for the third straight year and also represented The Valley in the NIT in Ford's first postseason tournament showing at MoState. The Bears also set team records for 3-point field goals (283) while boasting two first-team all-conference players in the school's all-time best scoring tandem – Gaige Prim and Isiaih Mosley -- while Donovan Clay earned MVC All-Defensive Team honors, and Isaac Haney landed on the MVC All-Freshman Team. Jaylen Minnett was also named to the MVC All-Bench squad.
• For the third time in his head coaching career, Ford was a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
• 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, 38, 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, 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).

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.
• Pledge to assist the Rebound Challenge today!  Pledge Link
• This year's Rebound Foundation Game is Tuesday, Feb. 21 vs. Murray State