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Missouri State

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Bears Set for Showdown in Valley Road Debut at Drake

November 30, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 8 - Missouri State Bears (6-1, 1-0 MVC) at Drake Bulldogs (6-1, 1-0 MVC)
Date and Time Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 | 3:02 p.m. (Central)
Location Knapp Center (7,152) | Des Moines, Iowa
Tickets GoDrakeBulldogs.com | (515) 271-3647
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Larry Morgan, Adam Emmenecker) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads, 48-22 | Last Meeting: MSU 65, DU 62 (ot) (1/18/23) | 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
Bears Mobile App App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next * Missouri State travels to Middle Tennesse on Tuesday, Dec. 5 (6:30 p.m.)
* Next Home Game: Bears vs. Sam Houston, Saturday, Dec. 9 (6:00 p.m.)  ART HAINS DAY | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State continues its two-game Valley swing Saturday when the Bears travel to conference preseason favorite Drake for a 3 p.m. start at the Knapp Center (ESPN+). The Bears have reeled off 6 straight wins and are looking for a 2-0 start in league play for the first time since 2017-18.
  • Missouri State has won 4 of the last 5 meetings against the Bulldogs, including a sweep in the series last season and wins in the last two matchups at Knapp Center. MSU defeated Drake, 65-62, in overtime a year ago in Des Moines with Donovan Clay contributing 16 points and 6 assists to lead the Bears. 
  • This week's MVC Player of the Week, Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico), posted his second straight 20-point outburst in Wednesday's home win over Evansville with 20 points, a game-high 8 assists and 3 steals. He leads the MVC and ranks 17th nationally in assists per game (6.0).
  • N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) leads the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.43), which ranks 39th nationally, while his 7.7 overall rebound average is 3rd in The Valley. Benson also ranks 2nd in the conference and 52nd nationally  in blocks per game (1.86) and is coming off his second double-double of the year with 16 points and 13 rebounds vs. UE.
  • Under coach Dana Ford, the Bears have won 26 MVC road games, which is second only to Drake's 27 in that span. Likewise, the Bears are 18-10 in Valley road contests since 2020-21.
  • Missouri State has out-rebounded 5-of-7 opponents this season with a +14.5 rebound margin over the last 4 games.
  • Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) is coming off a career-high 28-point outburst against Evansville while matching his career-bests in 3-pointers (5), free throws (7-for-7) and blocks (3). The Preseason All-MVC selection has eclipsed 20 points twice this season and has multiple treys in 4-of-6 appearances this season.
  • Alston Mason (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) ranks 26th nationally in 3-point FG percentage (.471). Mason has knocked down 2.67 threes per game so far this season (4th in MVC) with multiple triples in 4 of 6 contests.
  • MSU ranks tops in the MVC in rebound margin (+8.0), while its 30.71 defensive rebounds per game ranks 16th nationally.
  • Fourth-year squadman Raphe Ayres (Jr., Arlington, Va.) has racked up 3 or more rebounds in 3 straight games. Coming off his first start of the year, Ayres is averaging 20.3 minutes in that span with 3 assists and 2 steals vs. Evansville.
  • Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) has scored in double figures 6 straight games, averaging 17.2 points per game during MSU's current win streak. Clay's 19 points against Evansville on Wednesday marked his 70th career double-figure scoring game. He is 41 points away from 1,400 for his career (134g), while his 748 points at MSU (71g) ranks 67th on the Bears' career scoring chart. Clay also ranks 72nd nationally in defensive rebounds (6.14), which is 3rd in the MVC. 
  • The Bears were 6-1 in November, matching a club high-water mark for most wins in the season's opening month. MSU also reached 6 November wins in 2017-18 (6-2) and 2013-14 (6-1).
  • Over the last 4 games, Cesare Edwards (Jr., Hartsville, S.C.) is shooting 68.4 percent from the field (13-for-19) and averaging 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds.
The Series
  • Missouri State leads the all-time series, 43-36, including a 24-11 record in games played in Springfield and 10-4 ledger in games at Great Southern Bank Arena (including three straight wins). The Bears have won 4 in a row in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1959 NAIA national championship game and includes MoState wins in 9 of the last 10 meetings. (see page 9 of game notes for complete series breakdown).
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 95-67 (.586) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 56-20 (.737) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-35 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 152-132 (.535) in his tenth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 57-36 (.613) in Valley games (31-16 at home, 26-20 away).  
  • Coach Ford is 5-7 all-time against Drake (2-2 at the Knapp Center).
  • 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, 2022 in The Bahamas was his 75th victory at MSU, while his OT victory at Drake on Jan. 18, 2023 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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