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Missouri State

Matt Lee

Let's Go! Bears Open Hoops Season at WVU

November 05, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 1 - Missouri State Bears (0-0) at  West Virginia Mountaineers (0-0)
Date and Time Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 | 6:00 p.m. (Central)
Location WVU Coliseum (14, 000) | Morgantown, West Virginia
Tickets Tickets | (800) WVU-GAME
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN+ (Andrew Caridi, Warren Baker) | Watch
Series West Virginia Leads 1-0 | Last Meeting: WVU 70, MSU 68 OT (12/22/11) | Box Score
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | West Virginia | 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 returns to Great Southern Bank Arena on Monday, Nov. 13 to host Oral Roberts (7 p.m.)
TICKETS

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State kicks off its 112th basketball season and 42nd season in Division I on Monday (6 p.m., CT) when the Bears travel to Big XII foe West Virginia for an upscale opener in the Mountain State. MoState is 3-2 in season openers under coach Dana Ford. The Bears also open the season on the road for the first time since 2017-18. 
  • 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. He also dished out a team-high 108 assists. The fifth-year standout is 8 rebounds shy of 700 for his career (127g) and 7 field goals away from 500.
  • Monday games have been rare for the Bears in recent years with the team not having any Monday contests last season and just one (a victory over Long Beach State in Naples, Fla.) in 2021-22. During its Division I era, Missouri State is 93-52 (.641) in Monday contests.
  • The Bears ranked 24th nationally last season 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).
  • Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) was named to the Preseason All-MVC third team during The Valley's media day festivities in October. One of the league's best young talents, Moore was an MVC All-Bench Team selection in 2022-23 after dropping in 10.6 points per game, which was second on the club. He also knocked down a team-high 50 three-pointers his sophomore year and collected 120 rebounds and 25 steals for the Bears.
  • Missouri State is 20-15 in true road games over the past three seasons. Under head coach Dana Ford, Missouri State has claimed 26 Missouri Valley Conference road victories, which matches Drake for the league's most road wins in that span. The Bears' last road win at a Big XII school came with a 64-63 win at Oklahoma State on Dec. 5, 2015.
  • Under coach Dana Ford, the Bears are 42-5 when they shoot 50 percent or better from the field; 79-12 when they shoot at a higher percentage than their opponents; and 83-39 when holding opponents under 50 percent shooting.
  • In its sole preseason exhibition game against Westminster College on Nov. 2, the Bears were 23-of-26 (.885) at the free throw line. Two seasons ago, MoState ranked 2nd nationally in FT percentage (.797), but dipped to 346th (.626) last season. This season's early excellence at the stripe is an encouraging trend with the Bears going 57-22 over the last five years when they shoot a higher FT percentage than their opponents.
  • 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, who racked up a game-high 19 points and 8 rebounds in MSU's exhibition win over Westminster on Nov. 2, is the only freshman in the Missouri Valley to make the list.
  • In addition to Clay and Moore, the Bears also boast fellow returning starters Alston Mason (9.9 ppg, 39 threes, 2.8 assists), and Damien Mayo Jr. (4.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 apg) who was one of the league's top freshmen a year ago. Point guard Matthew Lee, who played just two games for the Bears a year ago after suffering a knee injury, is also back in the fold after leading Saint Peters to an Elite Eight run in 2022.
The Series
  • West Virginia leads the all-time series, 1-0, after a 70-68 overtime win over the Bears in Las Vegas on Dec. 22, 2011 | Box Score
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 89-66 (.574) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 53-20 (.726) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-34 record in away games, and 8-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 146-131 (.527) 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). 
  • 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 Springfiled 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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