Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Missouri State

Clay-02

MoState Men Look to Rebound at Middle Tennessee

December 03, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 9 - Missouri State Bears (6-2) at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (4-5)
Date and Time Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 | 6:30 p.m. (Central)
Location Murphy Center (11,520) |  Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Tickets GoBlueRaiders.com | (888) 729-4718
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Jake Rose, Daron Park) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads, 2-1 | Last Meeting: MSU 75, MTSU 51 (11/19/22) | 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
Bears Mobile App App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next Missouri State returns home on Saturday, Dec. 9 (6:00 p.m.) vs. Sam Houston
ART HAINS DAY | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State returns to non-conference play this week when the Bears make their first-ever trip to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to battle the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee on Tuesday (6:30 p.m./ESPN+). Missouri State has won two of the previous three meetings between the clubs, all at Great Southern Bank Arena, including last season's 75-51 MSU victory.
  • The Bears rank 20th nationally in 3-point field goal defense (.269) and 44th among 351 Division teams in field goal percentage defense (.392). Drake's 43.2 overall field goal percentage against MoState on Saturday was the highest by any opponent this season.
  • N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) leads the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.38), which ranks 38th nationally, while his 7.9 overall rebound average is 3rd in The Valley. Benson also ranks 2nd in the conference and 49th nationally  in blocks per game (1.88). He needs just 8 points and 5 rebounds to match his 2022-23 season totals (75 pts., 68 reb.).
  • The Bears are getting 86.4 percent of their game minutes this season from returning players. Led by Matthew Lee's 35.0 minutes per game (3rd in MVC), MoState has 9 players averaging 10.0 minutes or more per game.
  • Guard Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, P.R.) leads the MVC in both assists (44) and assists per game (5.5), which rank 30th and 36th, respectively, among all DI players. He also ranks 28th nationally in FTs (42) and 35th in FT attempts (53).
  • MSU has out-rebounded 6-of-8 opponents this season, including 5 in a row, with a +12.8 rebound margin over the last 5 games. For the season, the Bears lead the MVC in every rebounding category, including rebound margin (+7.8), which is 43rd nationally; rebounds per game (40.25), and defensive rebounds per game (30.62), which ranks 16th nationally.  
  • Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) has been MSU's top scorer the past two games and is coming off a team-high 17 points at Drake on Saturday. The Preseason All-MVC selection leads all Bears in road-game scoring this season (20.5).
  • Alston Mason (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) ranks 20th nationally in 3-point FG percentage (.471). Mason, who has missed the last 2 games, has knocked down 2.67 threes per game (4th in MVC) with multiple triples in 4 of 6 contests.
  • MSU's 6 personal fouls at Drake on Saturday marked the club's fewest under coach Dana Ford and the lowest team total since being whistled for 6 fouls vs. Missouri S&T on Feb. 26, 1979.
  • Over the last 4 games, Raphe Ayres (Jr., Arlington, Va.) is averaging 3.8 rebounds per game. He is coming off a season-high 9 points at Drake, his second straight start, and knocked down a career-high 3 treys in Des Moines.
  • Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) is 32 points away from 1,400 for his career (135g), while his 757 points at MSU (72g) ranks 63rd on the Bears' career scoring chart -- 56 points away from breaking into the top 50. Clay also ranks 93rd nationally in defensive rebounds (5.75), which is 3rd in the MVC. 
  • Cesare Edwards (Jr., Hartsville, S.C.) returned to the MSU rotation on Saturday at Drake, posting a season-high 10 points on 4-of-7 field goals to go with 5 rebounds.
  • The Bears are markedly improved in their 3-point shooting this season (.368), which ranks 69th nationally to start the week. Last season, MoState shot .331 from beyond the arc, which ranked 229th nationally..
The Series
  • Missouri State leads the all-time series against Middle Tennessee, 2-1, with all three previous meetings taking place at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield.
  • Last season (11/19/22), the Bears shot 50 percent from the field and drained a dozen 3-pointers in a 75-51 victory. Chance Moore led MSU with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while Alston Mason (16) and Donovan Clay (15) also scored in double figures.
  • See page 7 of game notes for complete series history.
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 95-68 (.583) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 56-20 (.737) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-36 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 152-133 (.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 2-3 all-time against Middle Tennessee (1-0 with the Bears).
  • 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
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors