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Missouri State

Ford

Bears Renew Regional Rivalry at Tulsa

December 13, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 11 - Missouri State Bears (7-3) at Tulsa Golden Hurrican (5-3)
Date and Time Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 | 2:00 p.m.
Location Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) | Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tickets TulsaHurricane.com | (918) 631-4688
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Chad McKee, Pooh Williamson) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads, 21-20 | Last Meeting: Tulsa 70, MSU 61 (12/13/15) | Box Score
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Middle Tennessee | MVC Weekly Release | MSU Media Guide
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
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Up Next Missouri State returns home on Tuesday, Dec. 19 (7:00 p.m.) vs. Lindenwood | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State returns to the road Saturday when the Bears travel to Tulsa University to battle the Golden Hurricane at the Reynolds Center (2 p.m./ESPN+). The history between the regional rivals dates back to 1932 with the Bears owning a narrow 21-20 series lead. The clubs have not played since 2015.  
  • The Bears are coming off their fourth wire-to-wire victory of the season with a 69-60 win over Sam Houston last Saturday in Springfield. The win pushed MoState to 4-0 at home this season.
  • N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) matched a school record against Sam Houston with 7 blocked shots, while helping the team also match a single-game block record (14). Benson started this week ranked 16th nationally in blocks per game (2.4) which is 2nd in the MVC. He also needs 2 points to match his 2022-23 season scoring total (75 pts.).
  • As the top rebounding team in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, the Bears are averaging 31.6 defensive rebounds per game (8th nationally), 40.8 total rebounds per game (43rd), and boast a +6.6 rebound margin (59th). 
  • Missouri State jumped into the top 20 nationally this week in defensive field goal percentage (.381), which is 19th in the DI ranks and leads the Missouri Valley. Likewise, the Bears rank 29th nationally in defensive 3-point FG percentage (.278). The Bears have held all 10 opponents this season under 45-percent from the field overall, including a season-low .296 effort by Sam Houston in the squad's most-recent defensive gem. 
  • If there was an award for most-improved free throw shooting team in the country, the Bears would certainly be top contenders this season. After finishing the 2022-23 campaign ranked 348th nationally (out of 352 eligible Division I teams) with a .626 percentage, the Bears have improved dramatically this season with a .738 percentage at the stripe, which ranks 72nd nationally and 3rd in the MVC.
  • Alston Mason (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) has scored in double figures in 4 straight games, averaging 19.5 points per outing in that span with 3.5 assists, 2.0 3-pointers and a .464 field goal percentage.
  • Damien Mayo Jr. (So., St. Louis, Mo.) matched his career scoring high (13 points) in last week's win over Sam Houston, while contributing 3 blocks, 2 steals and 4 rebounds in the victory while making his second straight start.  
  • Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) ranks 3rd in The Valley in defensive boards per game (5.70). He snagged 6 rebounds in last Saturday's win over Sam Houston, giving him 5 or more rebounds in all 10 games this season.
  • Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) has started the last 5 games for the Bears and is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game over the last four contests. Moore has also knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 7 straight games.
  • Donovan Clay's (Sr., Alton, Ill.) 801 points at MSU (74 games) ranks 55th on the Bears' career scoring chart -- 12 points away from breaking into the top 50. In other milestone watch lists, Clay is just 2 treys from 100 and 8 steals from 100 for his college career (137 games). He is coming off back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career.
  • Two Bears are celebrating birthdays this week with Nick Kramer turning 20 on Thursday (Dec. 14), and Raphe Ayres turning 24 on Tuesday (Dec. 19).
The Series
  • Missouri State leads the all-time series with Tulsa, 21-20, including a 6-13 record at Tulsa (0-6 at Reynolds Center). MSU is  also 13-7 in Springfield (3-1 at Great Southern Bank Arena) and 2-0 at neutral sites vs. TU. 
  • In the last meeting at Tulsa (12/17/14), the Golden Hurricane shot 54 percent from the field and fought off a late-surging Bears team to cling to a 74-70 win at the Reynolds Center. Former Marcus Marshall scored 36 for the Bears, while Shaq Harrison (23) and James Woodard (26) led Tulsa in scoring. 
  • A year later in Springfield (12/13/15), Missouri State's 21-6 run in the second half nearly erased an 18-point deficit, but visiting Tulsa ended the game with an 8-2 outburst to end the Bears' upset hopes. The Bears got a team-high 17 points from Christ Kendrix with newcomers Dequon Miller and Ryan Kreklow pouring in 11 points apiece. MSU held a 43-38 rebounding advantage.
  • See page 7 of game notes for complete series history.
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 96-69 (.582) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 57-20 (.740) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-37 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 153-134 (.533) in his tenth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 57-37 (.606) in Valley games (31-16 at home, 26-21 away).  
  • Coach Ford is 0-0 vs.Tulsa in his career.
  • 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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