Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Missouri State

NJ Benson

Bears Game with S.C. State on Deck Saturday

Game Festivities Include 1999 Team Recognition, Jersey Retirement

November 22, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 6 - Missouri State Bears (4-1) vs.  South Carolina State Bulldogs (2-4)
Date and Time Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023 | 1:02 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 Danny Moore Retired Jersey Ceremony | 1999 Team Recognition |
Kids 12 & Under Free ... $5 Bleacher and Upper-Level Tickets | 2023-24 Promo Calendar
Fan Info Digital Program | Gates Open at 12:00 p.m.
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity App
Television No TV
Series First Meeting
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | South Carolina State | 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 Missouri State hosts Evansville in the MVC opener on Wednesday, Nov. 29 (7 p.m.) | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Fresh off a tournament championship at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, the Missouri State Bears return to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday (1 p.m.) to take on visiting South Carolina State. The Bears (4-1) put a four-game win streak on the line as they begin a two-game home stand. Kids 12 and under are free for Saturday's game with adult tickets starting at just $5. 
  • Saturday's game will include a special halftime ceremony to retire the (#32) jersey of Bears great Danny Moore, while recognizing Coach Steve Alford and the rest of Moore's teammates earlier in the game. Moore was a three-time All-MVC selection and MSU's top scorer and rebounder all three seasons he played from 1996 to 1999. He was the anchor of Alford's 1999 NCAA Sweet Sixteen Team that defeated Wisconsin and Tennessee in March Madness before eventually falling to Duke. Moore currently ranks No. 1 in program history in career free throws (538), No. 1 in free throw attempts (685), No. 2 in blocks (167), No. 3 in double-figure scoring games (90 out of 98), No. 6 in points (1,691), 10th in scoring average (17.3) and 10th in 20-point games (31). His will be the 7th men's basketball jersey retired at Missouri State.
  • Alston Mason (Jr., Overland Park, Kan.) has scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games and racked up a team-high 21 points in Monday's win over Abilene Christian in the Paradise Jam finals. The Belgian-born guard is averaging 15.3 points per game over his last 17 contests.
  • MSU point guard Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico) was named MVP of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this week. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while making 11-of-14 free throws and 7 3-pointers. His double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in the semifinals against Kent State on Sunday was the first of his career and Missouri State's first of the season. He scored in double-figures all three games in St. Thomas.
  • The Bears rank 30th in effective FG% defense (.421) and 31st nationally in 3-point FG percentage defense (.252), according to KenPom.
  • Senior Donovan Clay (G/F, Alton, Ill.) joined Matthew Lee on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team after he averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The fifth-year standout is a Preseason All-MVC first-team selection and has scored in double figures in 4 straight games, averaging 17.3 points per game in that span.
  • Bears head coach Dana Ford picked up his 150th career victory in Monday's Paradise Jam championship victory. The Bears shot a season-high .577 against Abilene Christian on Monday, pushing them to 44-5 under Ford when they shoot 50 percent or better from the field.
  • Missouri State's defense has burst onto the scene this year, pushing the Bears to No. 52 nationally in FG percentage defense (.380), 30th in 3-point FG percentage defense (.252) and 29th in defensive rebounds per game (30.80)
  • Alston Mason (Jr., Overland Park, Kan.) ranks 22nd nationally in 3-point FG perentage (.517), 37th in total 3-pointers (15) and 44th in 3-pointers per game (3.0).
  • N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) will celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday (Nov. 24). Coming off career-highs in scoring (17) and rebounding (16) vs. Abilene Christian on Monday, Benson also ranks 53rd nationally in blocks (9). 
The Series
  • This is the first meeting with South Carolina State
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 93-67 (.581) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 54-20 (.730) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-35 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 150-132 (.532) 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).
  • Saturday's game will be Coach Ford's first game against South Carolina State.
  • 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 150th career win on Nov. 20, 2023 with the Bears' 87-69 win over Abilene Christian in the Virgin Islands and his 100th career victory on Feb. 7, 2021 with a Bears' win at Illinois State (72-62). He 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
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors