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Missouri State

Mason 2023

Bears Return Home to Host Sam Houston on Art Hains Day

December 07, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 10 - Missouri State Bears (6-3) vs.  Sam Houston Bearkats (5-4)
Date and Time Saturday,  Dec. 9, 2023 | 6:02 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 ART HAINS DAY
Kids Free | $5 Adult Tickets | Art Hains Recognition at Halftime | 2023-24 Promo Calendar
Fan Info Digital Program | Gates Open at 5:00 p.m.
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ | Corey Riggs, Tom Ladd | Watch
Series Missouri State leads 2-0 | Last Meeting: MSU 77, SHSU 55 (11/17/21) | Box Score
Live Stats StatBroadcast
Game Notes Missouri State | Sam Houston | 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 Tulsa on Saturday, December 16 (2:00 p.m.)
* Next Home Game: Bears vs. Lindenwood, Tuesday, Dec. 19 (7:00 p.m.)  Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State makes a welcome return to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday when the Bears host Sam Houston in a non-conference tilt at 6 p.m. MSU will also celebrate the return of long-time broadcaster Art Hains to the microphone this season during special halftime ceremonies as part of Art Hains Day. Kids 12 and under and all Missouri State student are free for Saturday's game with adult tickets starting at just $5. 
  • The Bears are coming off a 77-73 overtime loss at Middle Tennessee on Tuesday, a game the Bears trailed by 14 in the second half. MSU tied the game up on a floater by Alston Mason with 3.7 seconds to go in regulation after mounting an 11-2 run over the last 5:57. Mason matched a career high with 28 points in the game, while Donovan Clay bested his career high with 24 points, and Chance Moore tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double.
  • After missing the two previous games with an injury Alston Mason (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) returned to the MSU rotation at Middle Tennessee and matched a career-high with 28 points. The milestone effort included an 8-for-8 effort at the foul line and was Mason's fourth 20-point game in his last six outings. His 17.6 points per game ranks 6th in the MVC.
  • Saturday's game against Sam Houston is a makeup game of sorts after the scheduled meeting between the clubs last season (originally scheduled for Dec. 22, 2022) was canceled due to a winter weather storm in Springfield.
  • MSU has out-rebounded 7-of-9 opponents this season, including 6 in a row, with a +11.3 rebound margin over the last 6 games. The Bears rank 12th in the country in defensive rebounds per game (31.22), 47th in rebound margin (+7.3) and  48th in total rebounds per game (40.67), all of which lead the MVC.  
  • Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) ranks 3rd in The Valley in defensive boards per game (5.78). He snagged 7 rebounds at Middle Tennessee on Tuesday, giving him 5 or more rebounds in all 9 games this season.
  • N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) leads the MVC in total rebounds (70), ranks 37th nationally and tops in the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.33) Benson also ranks 2nd in the MVC in blocks per game (1.89), which ranks 51st among all DI players. He needs just 5 points to match his 2022-23 season scoring total (75 pts.).
  • MoState ranks 37th nationally in FG percentage defense (.391) and 35th in 3-point FG percentage defense (.280).
  • Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) has scored in double figures in 4 of the last 5 games, averaging 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in that span, while making 19-of-21 free throws (.905).
  • Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, P.R.) retained his Valley lead in assists per game this week, averaging 5.0 dimes per outing. He is also among the nation's leaders in free throws made (42), ranking 48th. He needs 5 treys to reach 100 for his college career (93g) and 14 assists to reach 300.
  • Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) is 8 points away from 1,400 for his career (136g), while his 781 points at MSU (73g) ranks 61st on the Bears' career scoring chart -- 32 points away from breaking into the top 50. In other milestone watch lists, Clay is just 3  treys from 100 and 8 steals from 100 for his college career. 
  • The Bears are 3-0 at Great Southern Bank Arena this season and averaging 88.7 points per game behind the scoring charge of Alston Mason (19.5), Matthew Lee (19.0) and Donovan Clay (17.0) on the home hardwood.
The Series
  • The Bears have won the two previous meetings against SHSU, including a 77-55 win in Texas in 2021.
  • Missouri State won the only previous meeting between the schools in Springfield with a 77-61 victory over the Bearkats at Hammons Student Center on 12/12/00 as part of the Pizza Hut Classic. Mike Wallace led the Bears with 19 points in that game, while Scott Brakebill and Charles Gaines poured in 16 points apiece in the win. Brakebill also snagged 12 boards for MSU, which shot 52.1 percent from the field.
  • Two years ago in Huntsville (11/17/21), Isiaih Mosley led four Bears in double figures with 21 points, while Gaige Prim added 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead MSU to a 77-55 win. The Bears shot 59.1 percent in the second half. Four minutes into the final period, Mosley scored all nine Missouri State points over a three-minute stretch as part of a 9-3 spurt to extend the visitors' lead to 43-26. Later, Sam Houston capitalized on a flurry of MSU fouls and a triple by Jarren Cook as part of a 6-0 run to trim MSU's advantage to 51-40 with 11:13 to play. But the Bears' best run of the young season ensued with a 17-2 outburst over a five-minute stretch put the game away.  | Box Score
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 95-69 (.579) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 56-20 (.737) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-37 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 152-134 (.531) 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 1-0 vs. Sam Houston (0-0 at home). 
  • Coach Ford is 8-2 all-time against Evansville (3-1 at "The Vault").
  • 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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