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Missouri State

Donovan Cly

Bears Set for Home Opener Monday Against ORU

November 12, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 2 - Missouri State Bears (0-1) vs.  Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (1-1)
Date and Time Monday, Nov. 13, 2023 | 7:02 p.m. (Central)
Location Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promos & Specials Home Opener | Missouri State Students FREE | 2023-24 Promo Calendar
Fan Info Digital Program | Gates Open at 6:00 p.m.
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN+ (Don West, Tom Ladd) | Watch
Series Series Tied 10-10 | Last Meeting: ORU 80, MSU 77 (12/18/22) | Box Score
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Oral Roberts | MVC Weekly Release | MSU Media Guide
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
Bears Mobile App App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next MSU embarks on a three-game trip to the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, Nov. 17-20 |
Tournament Central

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State kicks off its 16th season at Great Southern Bank Arena on Monday when the Bears host Oral Roberts in a key early-season, non-conference matchup (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Bears have won 70 percent of their home games at the 11,000-seat facility the last 15 seasons, going 164-72 in that span with 10 or more home wins in 6 of the last 7 seasons.
  • Missouri State is 38-3 in home openers during its Division I era (since 1982-83), including a 13-2 ledger in home openers at Great Southern Bank Arena. 
  • ORU made a run to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2021, then made a return trip to the Big Dance last season before falling to Duke in the opening round. New head coach Russell Springmann inherits eight returnees, including two starters, from last season's 30-5 Summit League championship squad.
  • After dishing out 7 assists with just a single turnover on opening night at West Virginia, Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico) entered the weekend ranked 8th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (7.0) and 26th in assists per game (7.0). In 3 career games with the Bears (including 2 last season), Lee has 15 total assists (5.0 apg).
  • Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.), a Preseason All-MVC third-team selection, scored a career-high 24 points at West Virginia last Monday, knocking down 8-of-19 field goals with 8 rebounds and 5 threes. He ranks 13th nationally in 3-pointers per game (5.0) and 45th in minutes played (37:25) per game. Moore was an MVC All-Bench Team selection in 2022-23 after averaging 10.6 points and making a team-high 50 three-pointers his sophomore year.
  • Senior Donovan Clay (G/F, Alton, Ill.) is a Preseason All-MVC first-team selection, the league announced on Oct. 17. Clay is a two-time MVC All-Defensive Team honoree and earned All-MVC second-team distinction in 2022-23 after averaging 14.7 points in MVC games last season and a team-best 11.9 ppg overall. The fifth-year standout is 8 assists away from 300 for his career (128 games) and 6 field goals away from 500.
  • Last season, the Bears ranked 24th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 63.2 points per game. It marked the club's best defensive average in more than a decade (2011-12). Keeping with that theme, MSU locked down West Virginia in last Monday's season opener, forcing 21 straight missed field goals in the first half and holding the Mountaineers without a field goal for more than 16 minutes. 
  • Under coach Dana Ford, the Bears are 42-6 when they shoot 50 percent or better from the field; 79-13 when they shoot at a higher percentage than their opponents; and 83-40 when holding opponents under 50 percent shooting. In the season-opener at WVU, the Bears held the Mountaineers to 34.9 percent from the field while shooting 35.4 themselves.
  • ESPN ranks Missouri State's Tyler Bey (G, Newark, N.J.) as one of the top 15 Mid-Major Newcomers to Watch for 2023-24. Bey racked up a game-high 19 points and 8 rebounds in MSU's exhibition win over Westminster on Nov. 2 and followed that with 7 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes at West Virginia (Nov. 6) with a dunk.
  • Over the last 13 games, Alston Mason (Jr., Overland Park, Kan.) is averaging 14.7 points per outing, including a 15-point performance at West Virginia in the season opener on 6-of-12 field goals and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Mason has also scored 1.8 threes per game during that 13-game stretch, making 23-of-67 attempts from beyond the arc. 
The Series
  • The series is tied, 10-10, in a rivalry that dates to 1981
  • The Bears are 7-2 at home and 3-8 in Tulsa against the Golden Eagles
  • The home team has won the last 10 meetings in the series
  • Last season in Tulsa, the Bears found themselves down by 23 points with just under 16 minutes to go before turning to a  young rotation that never left the floor down the stretch and eventually took the lead with 94 seconds to go. But home standing Oral Roberts narrowly beat the shot clock on a game-winning dunk with 19 seconds remaining to steal an 80-77 victory on 12/16/22.  | Box Score

Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 89-67 (.571) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 53-20 (.726) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-35 record in away games, and 8-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 146-132 (.525) in his tenth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 56-36 (.609) in Valley games (30-16 at home, 26-20 away).  Ford is 2-2 against Oral Roberts in his career (2-0 at GSB Arena).
  • Coach Ford is 4-5 at  Arch Madness with four losses by 3 points or less and one of those coming in OT (vs. Drake in 2022). During his time at Tennessee State, Ford was 0-3 in OVC Tournament games (all by 3 points or less) with two in overtime.
  • He picked up his 100th career victory on Feb. 7, 2021 with a Bears' win 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, while his OT victory at Drake (1/18/23) was his 50th MVC win.
  • In 2022-23, the new-look Bears featured 14 new faces and ultimately turned the squad into Valley contenders. The Bears landed an All-MVC selection in second-teamer Donovan Clay and All-Bench Team honoree Chance Moore. Clay, who was also on the MVC All-Defensive Team, led the Bears in scoring (11.9 ppg) and assists (108) while becoming the first Bear since 2018-19 to reach the century mark in assists. Moore averaged 10.6 points per game and racked up 17 double-figure scoring games.
  • Ford's fifth season in Springfield concluded with a 12-8 conference record, making him the first sideline boss in program history to collect a dozen or more conference wins in three straight seasons. The Bears allowed just 63.2 points per game on the year, which ranked 24th nationally and was the club's best scoring defense in more than a decade. MSU also eclipsed its season record for blocked shots (140) -- a mark that had held for nearly a quarter century -- and ranked second in The Valley in rejections.
  • 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, 39, earned the Ben Jobe Award in 2016 as the nation's top Division I minority coach, a distinction he has been nominated for three times. 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 (Clippers) and Fred Van Vleet (Rockets).
  • Ford was recognized by 417 Magazine as one of its top 100 most-influential professionals in 2022 and 2023. He also serves on the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee. 
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
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